Sorry and Forgiveness
by thistwinklingstar
Summary: The Charmings find their way back to one another but a dramatic turn of events brings their family closer together than ever thought imaginable.
1. Real

**So this is my first fanfiction. Ever. I couldn't help it. This show is just too amazing. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and with finals ending, I was finally able to get it down in writing. So enjoy! Reviews are also greatly desired to guide my inexperience.**

**A bit of Episode 6 spoilers but with a twist.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

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><p>1. Real<p>

He left his wife. Again. He had tried, really hard, to love her the way that his memories told him that he used to, but no matter how hard he tried, no matter how many memories were returning, he still felt like a completely different person.

And then there was her: the woman that captured his breath every single time he thought of her (which was quite often). It absolutely puzzled him how this woman, who he apparently had never met before his accident, could cause his heart to feel so much more than he had ever felt for his wife. She had saved him; that was one thing. But David couldn't help but feel that they had this deeper connection, like he most certainly knew her, a connection that he couldn't understand or explain.

Kathryn knew that the hope of mending their marriage was a long shot. At least when David still had amnesia, he had no memories of the outright nasty arguments that they used to have. Now that he remembered, they both knew that their marriage was falling apart up until the moment that he decided to leave the first time to clear his head all those years ago. And so David left again. He packed what little he had and headed out the door, looking back only once to smile encouragingly at his soon-to-be ex-wife and wish her all the best. She didn't try to stop him and that in itself spoke volumes.

He rented a room at Granny's and settled into quite a routine. Every morning, he would head to Granny's diner where he would have a cup of coffee before going off to his new job at the animal shelter. Sometimes, if he was lucky, he would catch a glimpse of Mary Margaret but she would always look away and awkwardly try to leave as soon as they would make eye contact. His heart ached knowing that he had hurt her so much.

There was simply no excuse for it but at the time, he truly felt like he had done the right thing, to honor his marriage no matter the circumstances. Now, looking at the pain in Mary's eyes, he wasn't so sure if it was worth it. He realized that he has intense feelings for her, feelings that he wasn't about to let go. He had to fight for her. Every instinct in his body was telling him to.

_One step at a time_, he told himself. And so he started out small. An occasional "hello" here and "hi Mary" there, whenever he saw her at the diner. At first, she would only narrow her eyes and try to move away, until he told her. "Kathryn and I decided to end things," he said one day.

Mary froze. "Wh-What?" She shook her head, trying to clear her thoughts. No matter how much their marriage had pained her, this was truly sad and she couldn't help but feel slightly guilty that it had something to do with her. "I'm so sorry," she told him as her face fell.

"No, it's okay," he replied quickly. "It really was for the best. Deep down, we both knew that we were unhappier together than was appropriate in a marriage. At the end of the day, it just didn't feel right. The divorce was finalized three weeks ago."

Mary could only nod in response, her mind still reeling. "W-Well, I really should be going. It was nice to see you again David," was all she could manage.

"Wait," David caught her arm, and the warmth of her skin sent prickling feelings down his spine. She didn't pull away. "I'm so sorry for what you've been through because of me. Trust me, if I could go back and re-do everything, I would."

Mary shook her head. "No, you did the right thing. It was your marriage," she admitted sadly. And with that, she began to pull her arm away, but he held on.

"I miss you," he said, and Mary's heart was pounding, "I miss us."

"There was never an 'us'," Mary let out perhaps a bit too harshly for David's face fell and he slowly let go, stepping back slightly, not wanting to push her. When she just stood there, still not leaving, David tried again, cautiously. He moved forward again and extended his arm for hers. When she surprisingly allowed it, he brought up the courage to ask. "I really want to try again," his voice wavering, almost a whisper, "Can I take you out tonight?"

Her eyes narrowed again and he held his breath. "I'm not really the rebound girl type," Mary replied, trying to resist the temptation.

"You're not a rebound," David said quickly. "To me, rebounds are only implied when a real relationship has ended. What Kathryn and I had, it wasn't real. And I actually don't think it ever was." He swallowed; feeling like this is more of him returning to her. "You're the only thing that feels real to me."

He had her. She closed her eyes and hated to admit it but it was all too much. She tried to play hard-to-get like Emma had taught her but every fiber of her being was screaming at her, urging her to just let go of resistance and say yes. All she could do was nod her head dumbly.

David grinned from ear-to-ear and leaned down to peck a kiss to her cheek, taking the opportunity to whisper in her ear as he pulled away, "I'll never let you go again Mary Margaret."

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><p><strong>Again, this is my first fanfic ever so please excuse any signs of inexperience. Also, please review! I desperately need it. This short chapter was kind of an introduction for the craziness that I have planned ahead ;)<strong>


	2. Quite the Evening

So this is my first fanfiction. Ever. I couldn't help it. This show is just too amazing. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and with finals ending, I was finally able to get it down in writing. So enjoy! Reviews are also greatly desired to guide my inexperience.

Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time

**First off, THANK YOU SO MUCH for all the lovely reviews! Because of you all, I'll definitely continue writing so please keep it up: whether good or bad critique :)**

**I hope this chapter satisfies all the expectations but in all honesty, I wrote it even before the first chapter so I hope it still works out. Enjoy!**

**P.S. Sunday's episode made me cry so much!**

**P.P.S. Now I'm going to go on a tiny rant; please forgive me (and try to read to the end of it). So like I mentioned above, I've had this chapter written for about a week now, even before my first intro chapter. Then today, I was reading an updated story from an author whom I admire very much (in fact, my favorite) and there are some similarities…ish, as far as storylines go, not by much, just enough for me to go back and look at my own work, doubting my own creativity. I guess with the same fandom, some material is bound to repeat itself but still, it was a little discouraging without being anybody's fault at all. And I guess I am just feeling this way because our updates are happening around the same time. So I was debating whether or not erase it and start over but I was pretty proud of this chapter so I'm just going to risk it and post it. In fact, now that I think about it, the similarities are very… well trivial. I shouldn't even be freaking out about this (probably my nervous inexperienced insecurities kicking in). It's probably nothing and I'm just overreacting. And now I'm gonna stop my rambling before I start to sound crazy and lose readers :)**

**Enjoy and please let me know if any of this bugs you. Or if I'm crazy ;)**

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><p>2. Quite the Evening<p>

She spent almost two hours getting ready. She could barely control her nervousness as her fingers fumbled to put on the earrings that she had ben taking on and off again for the past ten minutes. _How could he make me feel like this?_

She finally settled on a pretty blouse with one of her signature skirts and cardigans coupled with small crystal studs.

Emma found her flustering amusing, though she was trying to maintain a stern face, clearly still disapproving of the fact that David had hurt her friend before.

Finally, the knock on the door came. Mary walked over and smoothed her blouse, taking a deep breath before slowly pulling the door open.

There David stood: charming as ever with a bouquet of red roses in his hand. He dressed casually enough, simple khakis and a button-down shirt with his light jacket and Mary was glad that she had settled with her final outfit. He was grinning at her nervously. _God he was adorable_, Mary thought to herself.

"David," Mary greeted, unable to control the smile spreading across her face.

"Mary," David breathed out huskily. Her beauty always caught him off guard and he was trying to maintain his composure. She looked absolutely stunning. Dumbstruck, all he could do was extend his arm, offering her the bouquet somewhat awkwardly.

She blushed and took it from his hand. "David, they're beautiful," she said with a twinkle in her eyes as she sniffed their fragrance. She then stepped aside to open up the doorway. "Let me put these in a vase. Come in."

He followed her through the door into her quaint apartment and immediately noticed Emma glaring him down from her position on the couch. He gulped. He couldn't quite understand it but Emma seemed so familiar to him as well. However, he'd heard that she had only recently arrived in town so it wasn't possible that he knew her before the accident. Shaking his thoughts back to the present, he tried to put on his best smile.

"Emma," David acknowledged her with a polite nod.

Her eyes narrowed at him and he gulped again. He thought trying to win Mary Margaret over was tough but now experiencing Emma's fierce guard, David knew that Emma was much more difficult to charm.

He pulled away from her stare nervously, glancing over at Mary in the kitchen who had noticed the tension between the two. "I see you've met Emma," Mary said smirking slightly, clearly amused at her friend's protectiveness and her new date's squirming.

"I believe we've already met before," David turned back to look at Emma, "You were one of the ones who saved me right?"

Emma's lips tightened into a firm line, then smirking. "And don't forget I could have easily left you there in that river."

David took a step back startled. "Emma!" Mary scolded.

"No, it's okay," David intercepted quickly and chuckled nervously, "I know I've been a jerk and I'm truly sorry."

All three stood there in awkward silence for a couple of seconds before David spoke up again. "Well, I guess we should be going," turning his attention to his beautiful date.

"Y-Yes, we should," Mary stammered, suddenly remembering the extremely handsome man before her. Blushing, she slipped her hand into the crooked elbow that he offered her.

"Have a good evening Emma," David remarked curtly.

And Emma only let out a huff of her breath, rolling her eyes. David smiled softly to himself.

As the door closed behind them, Mary turned to face him. "Where are we going tonight?"

David smiled at her. "It's a surprise. You'll see," he teased. Mary smiled back nervously, anxiously excited.

He led her down the apartment steps to his awaiting brown truck. As they made their way to the passenger side, David opened the door and helped her step in before walking around the front to the driver's seat. After placing the keys in the ignition, he leaned over to her. "Ready?" he asked.

Mary nodded, smiling back. As David turned the key, the roar of the old engine told her that this was going to be quite the evening.

Minutes later when David finally stopped the car, Mary Margaret looked around confused. There was nothing there. No building, no lighting, no nothing. David had parked outside a clearing in the forest trees. But before she could open her mouth to question, David had already exited his side of the car and he soon opened her own door, offering her his hand as she stepped down from the high-rise truck.

She shot him a questioning look and David smiled at her, reassuringly. "You'll see," he repeated, humor and anxiousness tingeing in his voice.

Mary nodded. Strangely, in this dark forest where countless possibilities could happen, she trusted him. They soon made their way through the clearing in the woods, he still holding her hand. When David finally stopped beside her, Mary caught her breath looking up at their destination. "Oh David…" her voice trailed off.

For they were now meters from the waterline of the river underneath the old toll bridge- where they had found each other and she had rescued him. But right in front of her, on the stretch of dry land, was a small table set with a checkered tablecloth. She noticed that David had gradually released her hand to light two candles centered on the tabletop.

She looked up from the table to see David gazing at her intently and nervously. "David, this is beautiful," she smiled brightly.

David released a breath in relief that he did not know he had been holding. "Yeah?" he beamed. "I was kind of hoping we could, you know…" his voice trailed off, "re-do this scene," he finished with a guilty look in his eyes.

Mary nodded again, not at all bothered by his reference to that night when he had asked her to meet him. David gently placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her over to her chair, pulling it out for her as she sat down. He then made his way for his own side of the table and settled down in his seat.

"H-How did you manage all this?" Mary asked.

"I may have had a little help," David chuckled.

Mary raised her eyebrows curiously.

"Granny," David simply replied, answering her questioning look.

"Ah," Mary understood, smiling.

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><p>Dinner was absolutely perfect as Granny was a magnificent cook. However, it was their lighthearted conversations that made the night so natural and comfortable.<p>

They talked about her students, his job. Life. They laughed together so naturally.

"So is Granny babying you?" Mary asked with a mischievous twinkle in her eyes.

"Yeah," David replied with a hearty laugh, remembering how the kind elderly woman motherly ushers him out the door any morning that he's running late for work. "How'd you figure?"

"She's like that with everyone. Plus I don't think she's used to having any long-term patrons."

"I see," David replied, "Although that granddaughter of hers always gives me this weird look."

Mary tried to stifle a laugh. _Oh Ruby_, she thought to herself amusedly.

"Well you're not…" she stopped abruptly, shaking her head.

But it was too late. "I'm not what?" David asked, and Mary cringed.

She closed her eyes, lowering her voice. "You're not exactly…hard of the eyes," she almost whispered, heated red creeping across her face.

But David only leaned in closer. "Mary," his soothing voice allowed her to open her eyes and look up into his entrancing gaze as her heart leapt. "You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met."

And her blush only deepened even further.

There was suddenly a brief moment of silence as Mary held the stem of her wine glass between her fingers, swirling its contents absentmindedly. She was thinking about how right everything felt: her and him together, as if it was always meant to be this way. David cocked his face to the side trying to peer up into her sudden quiet expression. "Mary, you all right?"

"Huh?" his concern startled her back to the present. "Oh, perfect," she gushed. "I'm just… I'm just really happy."

David smiled and reached his hand across the table to remove her hand from the wine glass, taking it in his own. He brushed his thumb gently across the back of her hand. "Me too," he smiled.

"Did you know," Mary began hesitantly, pondering whether or not she should tell him but when she saw his bright blue eyes gleaming back at in encouragement, she continued, "that I came to see you everyday while you were in that coma?"

David caught his breath, "Y-You did?" His head was spinning with euphoria at her revelation.

Mary nodded her head slowly. "I know it was kind of my job, I mean, as a volunteer, but when I came to see you, it didn't feel like a responsibility. I didn't have to see you everyday but I went anyway. In some part of me, I knew that you probably would have liked to have someone there so I made it my routine everyday. I wanted to be there for you…" her voice faltered off, looking up at him to watch for a reaction.

David swallowed slowly. Never before this moment did he feel even more affection for this woman. His hand edged up gently to brush his fingers against her cheek.

And suddenly, it was as if they were magnetically pulled towards each other across the table. Slowly, their faces inched towards one another's and both felt like they could barely breathe, hearts racing. Their mouths were now only millimeters apart from one another's. Mary's mind hesitated but her face was automatically inching forward on its own accord and his followed eagerly to close the short distance. When their lips finally met, it was the most magical feeling in the world. Nothing else mattered at that moment as they were completely engulfed in each other's touch. Their lips lingered leisurely against one another's and the kiss was chaste but filled with tender affection. When they finally pulled apart, David leaned in again to feather more quick kisses across her mouth and ended with a light nip to the tip of her nose. Mary giggled sweetly and instinctively moved her hand up to trace the scar on his jaw. He couldn't help but feel how oddly familiar this touch was.

"David?" Mary began huskily, her hand still cupping his face.

"Yes Mary Margaret?" David replied just as breathily, leaning in to her touch.

"Thank you," Mary smiled. And David beamed back at her.

"Always," he replied.

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><p>David walked Mary back to her apartment. When they reached the entrance, David wrapped his arms around her waist from behind and pressed a soft kiss to her temple as she unlocked the door.<p>

Mary swung open the door but she hesitated. She didn't want David to leave. Not just yet. Yes, things were moving along rather quickly but it just felt so…right. Before stepping through, she turned in his arms to look at his face. "Would you like some hot chocolate?" she asked.

David's eyebrows rose slightly, surprised but certainly pleased. "Sure."

He slowly released his hold on her waist and she reached for his hand, leading him through the door. The living room and kitchen were empty, as Emma must have gone off to bed. Once they were inside, Mary stepped into the kitchen to prepare two mugs. "Do you take yours with cinnamon?"

David paused suddenly. Something about that idea seemed so familiar but he shook away the odd thought. "Cinnamon?" he smiled at her.

"It's how I always make mine," she smiled back.

"Well I guess I'll just have to try it," he replied grinning.

As Mary moved around making the drinks, David was drawn towards something tucked underneath a newspaper on the kitchen countertop. He lifted the paper to inspect it more closely. "Mary?"

"Hmm?" Mary looked up from the cups she was about to sprinkle with cinnamon.

"What's this?" David asked curiously, holding up a small white blanket with purple threading.

"Oh that?" She moved over to where he was standing, reaching out to feel the texture of the wool yarn in his hands. "That's Emma's baby blanket."

The look of curiosity on his face was so adorable and Mary couldn't help but lean in to boldly press a quick kiss to his lips. The instant their lips brushed, they both repelled their faces back from one another's alarmingly, panting heavily, hearts racing. They could feel a pounding in their heads while they both still held on to the delicate knitting between them.

"_She's so beautiful Snow." James laid his hand on his infant daughter's forehead as he pressed a kiss to that of his wife's._

_Snow could only beam up at her husband, pride and happiness swelling in her chest, but suddenly, it was replaced by complete sorrow and fear._

"_The wardrobe," Snow managed to muster out, her mouth going dry. "It only takes one."_

_James looked at his wife, pain reflecting in his eyes. "Then our plan has failed." He leaned his forehead against Snow's. "At least we're together," he said, reaching over to rub her back comfortingly._

_She looked at him. What she was about to say hung stale in the back of her throat. "No. You have to take her. Take the baby to the wardrobe!"_

_James shot her an appalled look in return. "Are you out of your mind?"_

"_No! It's the only way. You have to send her through." Tears were now streaming down her face._

"_No, no. You don't know what you're saying."_

"_No, I do," she looked up at him pleading. "We have to believe she'll come back for us," and James knew she was right as he glanced down at the bundle of perfection in their arms. "We have to give her her best chance," Snow begged._

_Realizing that they had to do the most painful thing a parent would ever have to experience, he pressed a kiss to his daughter's forehead as Snow shifted the baby into his arms. He leaned in to kiss his wife one last time before rising from the bed, holding his baby girl against him, wrapped in her baby blanket._

David and Mary pulled away abruptly, his fingers yanking at his hair and her own rubbing over her eyes.

"J-Ja-James?" Mary's voice was shaking, her mind reeling.

"Snow?" David replied back huskily.

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><p><strong>Ta-da! Well I hope the storyline isn't moving along too quickly for you guys but I promise it's all for good reason. Will get the next chapter up as soon as I can. Again, please, please review! (and see my rambling above).<strong>


	3. Prince Charminged Your Way Back

**So this is my first fanfiction. Ever. I couldn't help it. This show is just too amazing. I've had this idea in my head for a long time and with finals ending, I was finally able to get it down in writing. So enjoy! Reviews are also greatly desired to guide my inexperience.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Enjoy and please review!**

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><p>3. Prince Charming-ed Your Way Back<p>

"J-Ja-James?" Snow's voice was shaking, her mind reeling.

"Snow?" James replied back huskily.

Snow inched forward cautiously, her hands reaching out slowly and paused mere millimeters from his face. James sensed her feared hesitation and leaned forward to close the remaining distance with her touch. As her fingertips danced across the skin on his cheek, confirming that he was there in the soul and flesh, she began to cry softly. "It really is you," she whimpered.

"Did you ever doubt that I would find you again?" James croaked as his fingers reached up to wipe away her tears.

Before either could say another word, their bodies came together again and their lips crashed on to one another's fiercely, both desperately holding on to each other's touch. Snow threw her arms around James' shoulders, caressing the nape of his neck and James moved his arms down to wrap around her waist. He hoisted her up against his body and pushed them both against the wall. Their tongues dived into each other's mouths passionately, starving for each other's touch. Snow reached one of her hands up to mat into his short blonde hair as James brought one of his up to cup her face, ghosting his thumbs over her cheeks tenderly.

Their mouths only slightly moved apart when air became an absolute necessity and as their foreheads remained pressed against one another's, they both lunged in again to continue the raging passion.

"Snow," James moaned desperately against her lips, clawing onto to her, afraid that if he let go, she would disappear.

Snow lifted her lips from his to hungrily feather kisses across his cheek, down his neck. "James," was all Snow could manage to let out with a moan of her own.

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><p>In the weeks following, Snow and James could not get enough of each other. They tried to see each other whenever they could, developing a routine of meeting each morning at Granny's before they would have to separate for work. He would even join them for dinner sometimes too, granted, if Emma was in a good mood.<p>

Emma would always eye them suspiciously as their relationship was moving along much quicker than normally expected but they only grinned back, showing her that they were completely in love as "Mary" and "David."

They had discussed everything about the curse since their memories came back, and first and foremost, about Emma. James could sense the pain in his wife's voice whenever they thought about their broken family and it took all his strength to try to keep his own voice strong to sooth her. They couldn't tell her now. Not yet, anyway. And with the curse still looming over their heads, it was enough of a challenge to try to control their relationship in public knowing that at any moment, the Evil Queen could be watching. They had each other's plus their newfound daughter and grandson's safety to worry about.

"We have a grandson," James would say, still trying to grasp onto the delightful thought.

"I know darling," was always Snow's short answer.

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><p>Henry walked into the diner one morning before school and saw James and Snow sitting across from each other in a booth. As James reached up his hand to wipe at a drip of hot chocolate off Snow's chin, his fingers lingered to caress her skin and she bubbled with a giggle. Henry couldn't contain his excitement and curiosity at their reunion any longer.<p>

"Hi Ms. Blanchard, Mr. Nolan," Henry bounced up to them.

"Hey Henry," James smiled at him. His features reminded him so much of Snow's and it pained him that they couldn't all be together as a family and even more so that his grandchild remained in the custody of that evil witch.

"So," Henry began, eying James mischievously, lowering his voice, leaning towards James' ear, "you found Ms. Blanchard."

James was shocked at the boy's boldness but welcomed it humorously. "Pardon?"

"Well, you Prince Charming-ed your way back to her," Henry replied with a hopeful grin.

James glanced quickly over to his wife who was grinning from ear-to-ear, clearly amused. She had filled him in on Henry's belief shortly after they regained their memories. She returned his look with a nod. _They had to start somewhere_.

"Henry," James said, scooting over in his bench to make room for his grandson, "about your theory." Henry slide into the booth, holding his breath, eyes perked up in anticipation as James continued, "well we…we're not really 'David' and 'Mary'."

Henry's eyes grew wide, his heart racing. "Y-You mean…"

"We remember," Snow said softly, reaching across the table to take Henry's hand. "We remember everything, sweetheart."

"What…How…How?"

"Emma's baby blanket," Snow and James said together.

Henry's head was spinning. _They remember! His grandparents remember! He wasn't alone anymore!_ "You remember? I was right? It's all true?" Henry couldn't control the endless questions spilling from his lips.

James let out a laugh as Snow grinned broadly. "Yes Henry, you were right. About everything," James replied. "I'm so impressed. Just how did you know to hang on to the truth for so long?"

Henry's face fell and it broke Snow and James' hearts. "Well…" Henry began, looking down at the tabletop, "everyone was so…unhappy. All theses years, it was just so…what's that word? _Depressing_? I knew that everyone should have been happy but they weren't. And then there's the whole not-aging thing which is really creepy so when Ms. Blanchard gave me the book, it just made so much sense."

James slowly reached out to put his arms around Henry's shoulder, pulling him close. "I'm so proud of you Henry," James said as Henry looked up and beamed, "for never giving up. You're just as responsible for our memories coming back as Emma is. Without you, she probably would have never returned to Storybrooke to save us."

"But it was her destiny to come back! No matter what, something would have brought her here," Henry replied.

Snow pursed her lips in thought. "True. But we're sure glad you're the reason she came back." And with that, Henry dashed over to her side of the booth and attacked her with a huge hug. Snow laughed and embraced him tightly in return.

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><p>They had both just gotten off work and Snow and James were walking hand-in-hand down the park with their fingers tightly intertwined and Snow's head resting lightly against his shoulder.<p>

"I love you, Snow," James suddenly said.

Snow looked at up him, slightly surprised that amidst their comfortable silence, this came out of nowhere. "I love you too, Charming," Snow replied sincerely.

James grinned at the sound of his wife's endearing nickname for him. "You know, I forgot how much I missed the sound of that."

"Well I've always reckoned you'd take a liking to it," Snow teased.

"Indeed, my love," James returned with a smile. "Is Emma still at work?"

"Yes, I think so," Snow replied, looking at questioningly.

James sighed, reaching up to trail his fingers gently through Snow's short hair. It was beginning to grow out, he noticed. _Time really is moving again_. "I miss her," James finally said, "so much."

Snow leaned in closer to wrap her arms around him. "I know sweetheart. I miss her too. I know I live with her, but it's not…it's not the same knowing that she doesn't know, and doesn't believe."

"I wish we could tell her," James said sadly.

"She'll never believe us. Or it'll just freak her out. Can you imagine? After all these years? Henry's already tried telling her but she only pretends to believe, to humor him because she doesn't want to hurt him. But I know she thinks it's just a ten-year-old boy talking," Snow replied, matching his regretful, sad tone.

They resumed their walk with his arm now around her shoulder, holding her close. When they both sensed that it was time to continue with their Storybrooke lives, Snow leaned up to kiss her husband. "Would you like to come over for dinner tonight" she asked when they finally pulled away.

"Would Emma be okay with that?"

"No reason why she wouldn't be. I think she's taking quite a shine to you," Snow teased.

"Oh really?" James asked, reaching up to caress her cheek, "How's that?"

"Well, just a couple weeks ago, when we just got our memories back, she would always shoot you all those dirty looks whenever you came over," Snow said and James grinned but was yet a little saddened by her impression of him. He didn't want to be reminded that perhaps we was not quite so _charming_ when he was still confused as to who he was and what he wanted. He didn't want his daughter to see him as a bad guy. "Now, she actually smiles at you when she opens the door," Snow grinned.

"Honey, she _smirks_," James countered with a chuckle.

"Still, it holds some form of endearment," Snow replied, laughing lightly.

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><p>James and Snow were sitting on the couch together, her leaning against him, enclosed in his embrace, when Emma opened the door to the apartment.<p>

"Uh, hi David," Emma greeted upon seeing him, _smirking_ as James had noticed.

Snow stifled a grin. "Hello Emma," James replied as his heart raced. It always raced knowing she was so close, yet still so far away.

"You staying for dinner?" Emma asked.

"Was that an invitation?" James teased, but hopeful.

Emma shrugged her shoulders. "It doesn't have to be," she continued her smirk as she moved to set down her keys on the kitchen.

James ignored her teasing. "Yeah, I'll stay."

"Okay, cool," Emma casually replied.

"I told you she's warming up to you," Snow whispered in his ear, laughing softly as she got up to prepare dinner. James grinned at the small triumph.

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><p>Dinner was casual and lighthearted as the three enjoyed a coupled of laughs and each other's company. There were several times where James wished he could reach out to his daughter when she talked about Henry, gushing as she recounted what adventures he had gotten himself into today. He could hear the yearning in her tone and he wanted to pull her in for a hug but he knew it was impossible to do just yet.<p>

After dinner, James helped Snow with the dishes and they tried to stall his company but as the clock indicated that it was getting later and later, they both knew that it was time for him to leave, knowing they had their daughter's opinions to think about. Snow held his hand as she walked him to the door.

"Goodnight James," Snow said softly, once James was standing just outside the doorframe out of Emma's earshot, sad longing tingeing in her voice.

"Goodnight my dearest Snow White," James returned huskily as he leaned in to kiss her sweetly.

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><p><strong>Thanks for reading and please review! You guys have been amazing!<strong>

**I'm not gonna lie: this chapter gave me a hard time. Call it writer's block if you will but I hope it didn't show. The next chapter will be better, I promise and I'll try to get it up as soon as I can.**


	4. Traditional Sense

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Episode 9 spoilers with a twist.**

**I've had this chapter written for a while now so I'm excited that I finally get to share it. Enjoy! And don't forget to review!**

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><p>4. Traditional Sense<p>

Emma walked into Snow's room as she was folding laundry. James was sitting with her on the bed and Snow was teasing him that he was useless at folding. He reached over to tickle her and after she shrieked with laughter, he lifted his finger to touch the tip of her nose before leaning in to gently nuzzle his own nose against her cheek. The sight of their daughter (who made it a point to put on a mocked sour face at their intimacy) caused them to look up immediately, inquiring how she had resolved Hansel and Gretel's Storybrooke fate.

"Hey," Snow said, "What happened?"

Emma walked over to the bed and sat down on the edge. "Their dad," Emma replied, gently lowering her head to lie back on Snow's bed, "he showed up. Changed his mind."

Both James and Snow raised their eyebrows. "Changed his mind?" Snow asked, picking up a pair of James' jeans that had been left overnight one time. James grinned sheepishly and she hoped Emma didn't notice. "Just like that?"

"He might have had a little nudge," Emma smirked.

"They found their father," Snow replied, beaming with pride at her daughter and joy at the much-delayed happy ending. "That's great."

Emma suddenly propped herself up on her elbows. "I wonder what that would be like," hope and wonder briefly glinting her features.

Snow and James froze, their hearts pounding. "Maybe you'll find out," James finally managed to say.

"You can't give up," Snow quickly chimed in, glancing at her husband.

"I don't know. I'm kind of thinking giving up might be the best plan." Looks of pain flickered across both Snow's and James' faces but Emma only shook her head to herself, dismissing away the odd sensation that she just felt at their concern. "I think I need to let go. If my parents wanted to know me, they wouldn't be making it so hard to look."

Tears were prickling the corners of Snow's eyes and she tried to hold them back, distracting herself by reaching into the basket to fold her clean blouse. She could feel James reach over to grasp her hand. "M-Maybe. But maybe there are other reasons. Maybe there is an explanation," Snow almost whispered.

Emma huffed an amused sigh, "Well if there is, it's something crazy. Something even crazier than Henry's theory."

A glimmer of hope shot across both James' and Snow's eyes. Cautiously, Snow inched her face forward. "What's Henry's theory?" she asked, hoping to prompt some kind of breakthrough. She could barely take the fact that her daughter felt abandoned any longer. They love her so much and she did not deserve to live the past 28 years the way that she did. She deserved to feel loved.

A smirk flickered over Emma's lips, "Well, that my parents put me in a magical wardrobe and sent me to this world to save them." She shook her head in amusement at her 10-year-old son's active imagination.

James gulped; pained at the thought of that day when he had to break up his family to protect his beautiful, precious newborn daughter, and even more pained that his daughter grew up so distant and hurt. Snow mirrored her husband's reactions almost perfectly. "Who does he think they are?" she asked encouragingly.

Emma glanced back and forth between Snow and James. Henry had told her his theory about both of these people. David, she was just beginning to know. For all she knew, he was just her roommate's boyfriend. There was no need to open up that can of awkwardness. Mary, on the other hand, had offered her a home and friendship and she felt like she could trust this woman with anything, "Well for one, you," she replied nodding at Snow.

"M-Me?" Snow could barely contain the hope rising in her chest. She could hear her husband catch his breath beside her.

"Well Snow White," Emma interjected quickly, shaking her head at the absurd thought. "Apparently that book you gave him, not exactly the stories in the most traditional sense."

"Well, you do kind of have her chin," James finally spoke, trying to humor the situation while at the same time trying to desperately get his daughter to believe.

Emma only smiled awkwardly before getting up from the bed. "I think I need to go get some air." As she was about to leave the room, she turned back around, "Anyway, they're just a 10-year-old's fantasies. No such luck in reality for me is there?"

Snow tried to bite her tongue; she tried to control her emotions. Emma was so hurt but she couldn't let that risk everything; throw their whole plan off track. _No! It's still too early! This is all happening so fast!_ _We're supposed to ease her into it_, Snow rationalized but she couldn't take this any longer and before she could think any further, she opened her mouth and the truth burst out. "Emma," her voice was raspy, trying to slow herself down, "h-he's right."

Emma narrowed her eyes, confused. "Who's right?"

And this time it was James' turn to speak. "Henry," was all he could manage in the intensity and craziness of the moment, his tone matching Snow's in anticipation and nervousness.

Emma looked back and forth between them, "W-Wh-What?"

"It's all true Emma," Snow's voice was shaking.

"We wanted to give you your best chance," James followed, "at a life safe from the dangers of the curse."

"We knew you'd come back for us sweetheart," Snow added softly.

Emma's legs were buckling beneath her. "No, this is crazy, it's absurd! We're practically the same age!" she was yelling now, "And fairytales don't exist! You two seriously need to get your heads checked out! It's one thing for a 10-year-old to believe such things but now you too? You guys are just messing with me and this is some sick joke!" She turned her heels and ran into her room, slamming the door behind her.

Snow winced at her daughter's aggressive reaction and the harsh sound of the door slamming into place, tears streaming down her face. James placed his hand on her back, rubbing it gently to comfort her. "It's okay. She just needs some space for a while. She just needs some time," he was trying to assure his wife, along with himself.

* * *

><p>Almost an hour had passed. James was pacing outside his daughter's room. It was too quiet.<p>

"Charming, you're going to bore holes through the floor." Snow's voice was still shaking but she was trying to calm herself by finding some lightheartedness in the situation.

James only glanced up briefly at his wife, distress and regret filled in his eyes. He raised his knuckles to Emma's door to knock. "Emma? Are you okay? I know this sounds crazy and scary but please, come out. Please let us explain," his voice was pleading.

The silence remained and she didn't reply. His paternal instincts were reeling and before Snow could stop him, he placed his hand on the doorknob and slowly turned the handle. The door was unlocked. He slowly swung the door open to see Emma sitting on her bed in the dark, knees brought up to her chest, looking paralyzed and phantom-like. Her arms clutched tightly around the baby blanket that had saved her parents' memories.

Cautiously and hesitantly, both James and Snow stepped into her room, one foot in front of the other, ready to quickly retreat should she react. When Emma sat still frozen in place, eyes refusing to look up at them, James slowly made his way towards her. He sat on the edge at the foot of the bed. After several more seconds of complete silence and no reaction, James reached out his hand, fingers trembling for his daughter's. Emma immediately jerked away, her first reaction indicating that she was still breathing.

"Emma…" James managed huskily.

"Don't." Emma cut him off, her eyes sharp with warning.

By now, Snow had made her way to the side of the bed standing above James from behind, her hands tightly grasping his shoulders as if for support. Her move of position from the door allowed light from the hallway to drift in and James and Snow could now see that Emma's eyes were red and puffy from crying.

"This is a dream. This is a joke," Emma finally repeated, trying to convince herself that her world had not just been turned upside down.

"I'm so sorry Emma," James tightly managed from his throat. "It wasn't supposed to be like this. We were supposed to stay together forever, like a real family should." He glanced at her and when she remained still, he continued. "We were supposed to watch you grow up and love you forever- until the curse struck and all your mother and I could think about was giving you a better life. We didn't know what would happen once you escaped but at the time we knew that anything would be better than the curse. And we still do. You have no idea how much it pains us to hear about how you've grown up," James swallowed. "And it is only in our wildest dreams that we hope you can forgive us."

Snow slowly moved forward and sat on the other side of the bed. "We love you so much sweetheart," and Emma began to lift her head to look at Snow, "From the moment we found out we were blessed to be your parents, you were the love and joy of our lives, and you always will be. For some reason, even during the curse all these years here in Storybrooke, I could never be happy without you."

James nodded in agreement. Snow and James sat again in silence, anticipating their daughter's response.

"This is crazy," was all Emma finally said, her mind still reeling.

James reached for her hand again and this time, she let him. "I know sweetheart," he looked up smiling at his daughter, gently caressing her knuckles with his thumb. "But we've got all night. We've got time. You don't have to say anything or you can ask us anything you want. It doesn't matter. What matters is that we've found each other and you finally know the truth."

There was more silence before Emma finally opened her mouth to speak again. A hundred questions were spinning through her head but she only asked one thing, "You…you love me?" she directed at both her parents vulnerably.

Both fiercely nodded their heads. "So much," they said at once.

"Always," James added.

Emma nodded her head. She didn't want to say anything else and Snow and James didn't push her. The three just sat together in silence, understanding finally coming over them.

* * *

><p><strong>Again, I hope the storyline's not moving along too quickly but I planned for this and have the next few chapters mapped out. Hope you guys like it and please review!<strong>


	5. Alone Tonight

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So can I just say I'm really surprised and excited that I (kind of, not really?) predicted that Mary/David date by the toll bridge in Sunday's episode in my Chapter 2. Totally did not see that coming.**

**Anywho, more Snowing fluff in this chapter :)**

* * *

><p>5. Alone Tonight<p>

James moved in. Now that Emma knew the truth, there was no point staying separated from his wife and daughter. It was slightly risky, yes, but James couldn't bear to stay away from them any longer. It took much longer for Emma to adjust than they had hoped but they were making slow progress and James and Snow would welcome that any day.

Ever since that night, Emma had tried to avoid the "truth" topic as much as possible but as much as she hated to admit it, she was curious. She was bursting with questions while trying hard not to suggest that she was too eager. Her parents noticed this wall of course, but they didn't push, encouraging her to ask only when she felt comfortable. And so in the two weeks since finding out the truth, Emma slowly began to give in to her temptations.

"So this curse," Emma began one night at the dinner table, "how did you know I would come back for you?"

Snow and James eyed each other smiling. The phrasing of their daughter's question indicated that she understood and could feel the affection. "We went to see Rumpelstiltskin," James finally said, "as dangerous as he is, your mother and I both knew that he can see the future and we were desperate for your safety."

"So Henry's right? I'm 'The Chosen One?' 'The Savior'?" Emma asked.

James chuckled lightly, "Well he's been right about everything so far, hasn't he?"

Emma could only nod in response when she felt her mother's hand placed lightly on top of hers. "Is everything all right honey?"

Emma nodded again. "Yeah." She slowly got up from the table to bring her dishes to the sink and her parents eyed her inquiringly.

"Where are you going?" James asked, afraid that their conversation had scared his daughter off again.

"Work." Emma simply replied. She nodded towards the clock on the microwave. "I have the night shift tonight."

"Be careful honey," James said.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him, hesitating. "Thanks _Dad_," she finally replied sarcastically with a smirk on her face.

James began to swell up with happiness. This was the first time that Emma had acknowledged him directly as her father. Granted, he knew she was still being quite snarky but James couldn't help but grin widely. Emma hadn't called Snow "Mom" yet but she was always more open with her and even though he hated to admit it, James was obviously jealous. Tonight was the first big step. Snow chuckled beside him.

"See you guys later, maybe tomorrow," Emma said as she grabbed her jacket and keys and opened the door, grinning to herself at the sight of her father's reaction. She closed the door behind her.

"I guess we're alone tonight," Snow finally said, eying him coyly.

James leaned over to kiss her softly before getting up to sweep her off her feet from her chair and into his arms. She squealed with surprise and delight. "Indeed my love," he grinned down at her, cocking an eyebrow slyly, "whatever shall we do?"

Snow pursed her lips in mock contemplation. "Oh, I'm sure we'll think or something, Charming," she teased as she wrapped her arms around his neck.

He locked his lips with hers again as they made their way towards the bedroom. He set her down gently on the bed and her hands fisted around the collar of his shirt, pulling him closer and closer against her body. He all too willingly complied.

* * *

><p>Snow lay nestled against James' side with his arm casually wrapped around her form, her fingers lightly tracing the old scars across his bare chest and shoulders. James tilted his chin down to place a kiss to the top of her head, his hands trailing gently up and down her arm.<p>

"Charming?" Snow started.

"Hmm?" James looked down at her; his hand moved to cup her face and he feathered his thumb across her cheek.

Snow smiled at his touch as her finger pads continued to dance across the surface of his torso. "Do you reckon we can ever defeat this curse?"

James frowned slightly. "Oh Snow sweetheart, thinking about what the Queen's done makes my blood boil," James replied as Snow looked at him sadly. "In all honesty, I have no idea how we're going to do it or where we should even start but we're going to do it. We have to. Good can't just lose."

Snow turned her head to kissed his chest and looked up into his eyes. "Do you think anybody else is awake?"

"Well if they are, they're doing an extraordinary job of hiding it because they all still look dazed to me," James admitted sadly.

Snow nodded. "We all can't just keep living like this…" her voice trailed off.

James pressed a kiss to her shoulder. "I know Snow, believe me. It's awful having to watch it all. They're our friends, our people. We have a responsibility to them as well. But I need you to know that I will do everything in my power to get us back."

"I know you will," Snow smiled up at him.

"But…" and Snow eyed him curiously as James continued, "I also need you to know that Emma's, Henry's, and your safety are my biggest priority and I will not rush into anything that will compromise your well-being."

Snow nodded. "I understand. The fact that we're all living under the same roof is in itself a miracle. What's important is that we're all together again."

James planted another kiss to the top of her head. "That's right. That's all that matters right now."

Snow tilted her head up and pulled his chin down for another kiss.

* * *

><p>Early the next morning, James and Snow were awakened by the sound of their daughter (accidentally) slamming the door behind her as she came home from her night shift.<p>

James groaned and turned over to pull his pillow over his head. "Imagine what she'd do with those heavy palace doors," he muffled from underneath his pillow.

Snow laughed sweetly. "You're not so innocent there yourself Charming."

James peeked out from under the pillow to smirk at her. "And I wonder what beautiful princess has got me slamming doors so passionately."

Snow pouted mockingly. "I'm surprised that you react so angrily whenever I insist on dragging you along to tea with the ladies."

James sat up and leaned down to kiss her temple, pulling away smiling. "Repeat what you just said to yourself and see if you can find your answer."

Snow followed him to sit up and grinned widely. "Well I _do_ join you on your hunts and such," she countered, raising her eyebrows humorously.

James grinned in return and leaned over to feather gentle kisses on her cheek, "True…" he whispered as he moved on to her collarbone, "and you…" he hushed as his lips pressed down on her neck, "do it so…" he breathed into her shoulder, "_wonderfully_," James murmured as he continued to trail his lips down her spine.

Snow giggled and shuddered at his touch and when he finally returned his gaze to hers, she pressed her forehead against his and leaned in. "Well lucky for you, I actually _prefer_ your activities to mine," she whispered.

"Oh lucky for me indeed," James grinned, sealing the short distance between them with a soft kiss.

"We should get down to Emma," Snow said when they finally pulled away.

"I agree," James smiled. "Let's see what she's like without any sleep."

They got dressed and walked into the kitchen to see their daughter sitting at the table with her coffee, reading the newspaper.

"Good morning Emma," Snow greeted cheerfully.

"Morning," Emma grunted, raising her coffee mug to acknowledge them as her eyes remained glued to the paper.

"Morning sweetheart," James smiled as he leaned down, about to plant a kiss to the top of Emma's head when she reached her hand up to stop him.

"Not so fast," her eyes cut to his. "One thing at a time."

James grinned as he made his way over to the coffeepot. _Someday_, he thought to himself.

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><p><strong>So forgive me if this chapter was in any way… lacking. I just got in to college so my head's not really screwed on straight right now from bouncing off the walls but I still tried to get this chapter done :)<strong>

**Yes, this was a shorter chapter but get excited for the next one. It's big.**

**Hope this was still enjoyable and please review. You guys have truly been amazing.**


	6. Going to be Okay

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Cue the fanfare: here it is.**

* * *

><p>6. Going to Be Okay<p>

James was settled at the counter at Granny's Diner. He had just finished a routine check-up at the hospital when he came to the diner to pick up some take-out for his family. _Family_… James smiled to himself as the thought mused him every time. As he was waiting for his order, he sipped his hot chocolate. When he swallowed his first gulp, he could feel slight bitterness and burning in his mouth and jerked back with alarm. He peered into the mug and couldn't see anything out of the ordinary but decided to push the mug away. _Perhaps I'm just tired_, he thought to himself. He glanced up to check the clock but his eyes became bleary and he felt a pang of pain shoot through his head. _What's happening to me?_

Ruby soon came out from behind the kitchen curtains with his order wrapped in a bag and handed it to him over the counter. She looked worriedly at him for she too could sense the sudden feverishness on his face.

"Are you okay David?" she asked, "You look kind of sick."

"I'm fine Ruby," James managed to croak out. He got up from the stool and stumbled a little. Ruby came around from behind the counter to try to help him but he waved her away. "I'm fine, really. Just a little dizzy all the sudden. I'm sure it's just because I'm tired."

"Okay," Ruby said hesitantly, "Do you want me to call Mary Margaret to come get you?"

"Nah, I'll be okay. It's a really short walk. Thank you though," James replied.

Ruby only nodded as James tried his best to stand up straight and make his way towards the door.

It took all of his strength and frankly, he had no idea how he managed to find his way back home with the intense headaches and dizziness, but he was soon grasping the doorframe of the apartment for support, his knees buckling beneath him as his fingers clawed up to reach for the doorknocker.

Snow opened the door and froze at the sight of her husband, pale, eyes bloodshot, and with beads of sweat dripping down his face. "Oh my gosh! Honey, what's wrong?"

"I don't know," was all James could manage to say before bolting past his wife through the door to rush into the bathroom. He keeled over the toilet and he was suddenly vomiting violently, blood. All blood. Snow rushed into the bathroom behind him and let out a cry at the sight of her husband doubled over, expelling so much blood. She could barely control her fear as she ran her hand in circles across his back and over his hair while trying to soothe him. He was writhing in pain from vomiting, spasms shooting through his stomach.

She screamed through the door to Emma who came rushing in, eyes terrified at the sight of her father. "Call for help! Something's wrong!" and Emma immediately bolted towards the phone. When James finally stopped vomiting for a moment, Snow grabbed his face between her hands and caressed her thumbs over his cheeks, trying to reassure him that she was here, and trying to reassure herself.

"What on earth happened, James?" her voice was shaking and it took all of her strength to try to calm down as to not scare her husband any further.

But before James could answer, his eyes rolled back into his head and he fell unconscious in her arms. Snow was screaming and tried to catch a pulse, listen for a breath, anything that would indicate that James was still hanging on to life.

Emma came rushing into the bathroom again, "I called. They're comi-…" she immediately froze at the sight of her mother compressing her father's chest. The sight was all too familiar and before she knew it, Emma was on her knees taking over the compressions as her mother sat sobbing at her father's side.

It was only a matter of minutes before the paramedics came through the bathroom door and by then, Emma had succeeded in regaining James' slow pulse. The medics placed an oxygen mask over his face and lifted his seemingly lifeless body on to the gurney and pushed it out through the apartment door. Snow and Emma rushed after the stretcher and then Snow followed her husband into the ambulance. Emma stopped at the foot of the vehicle- there was only room for one to accompany him. "Go! I'll jump in the squad car. It's parked right outside the house. I'll meet you there!"

Snow could only nod slowly. Her mind was numb and she hadn't realized just how tightly she was squeezing James' hand until the medic across from her had to pry her fingers away so they could take James' pulse. The doors of the ambulance shut and soon it was racing down the street with blaring sirens. Everything was a blur. All she could do was look down at her husband's lifeless face with stains of blood still traced on his chin. She felt sick herself. _What the hell just happen? She just saw his happy face this morning before they kissed each other goodbye for work, as healthy as he could be!_

She looked up at the medics' faces, trying to read their expressions, anything that would signify that her husband was going to be okay. They were frantically sticking tubes and IVs in him and it only caused more fear to shoot through her body, as if that was even possible.

James' eyelids suddenly fluttered open and she immediately reached one of her hands for his while the other one stroked his cheek and ran through his hair. "Snow…" James struggled to breathe out with a hacking cough.

"Shhh… Shhh… You're going to be okay. I'm right here darling," she tried to force a smile to ease the complete fear that covered his face.

Once at the hospital, the emergency room was so chaotic. It reminded Snow of when her James was pushed through the same doors just as frantically all those months ago, after she had found him at the toll bridge. She shuddered away the memory and focused her attention on the hospital staff scrambling to diagnose what was wrong. She could see Dr. Whale standing over James trying to take control of the situation but was clearly shaken and baffled, as he had just seen the patient no more than an hour ago.

Snow wasn't allowed in the room at the moment as she would only get in the way but she could clearly see what was going on. She could see just how terrified her husband was and as his eyes frantically glanced towards the glass doors seeking for hers, she nodded her head at him encouragingly, letting him know that she was right here. She hadn't even noticed that Emma was suddenly beside her until she felt a hand grasp her own and looked over to see her daughter desperately holding on to their joined touch.

"What happened?" Emma whispered, voice clearly shaking.

"I d-don't know. He had a physical exam at the hospital and was supposed to stop by Granny's on the way home to pick up dinner. He then came home barely in one piece and before I knew it, he was bent over the toilet vomiting blood," Snow shuddered, "So much blood."

Snow's attention was soon called to her husband's room as he was vomiting again into a bucket that a nurse held for him, intense pain streaking across his face. She couldn't take it anymore and pushed open the door to burst into the room.

"Ms. Blanchard, you can't be in here yet," Dr. Whale said, but faded off, knowing that it was no use as Snow had already made her way over to the bed where she was trying to soothe James, running her hand up and down his back.

After he finished yet another phase of vomiting, Snow reluctantly got up and came back over to the doctor, keeping her eyes on her husband who was as almost as pale as the bed sheet. "What's happening?" she asked the doctor, distraught.

Dr. Whale looked at her for a moment and it pained him to have to say what was coming. By now, Emma too was in the room. "Mary," he hesitated and kept his voice low, not wanting to alarm his patient any further. "David's extremely sick. I've never seen anything like this in my entire life."

Snow's eyes widened with panic. "What do you mean?" she whispered meekly, "He just saw you like an hour ago right? What's happened to him? All of the sudden, he came home violently vomiting out blood."

Dr. Whale shook his head. "I don't know what happened, but I gave David a clean bill of health after his exam and now it's as if he's been severely poisoned of some sort…" his voice trailed off as he saw how badly both Mary and Emma were struck by this new development.

"P-P-Poison?" both Snow and Emma croaked.

Dr. Whale could only nod his head. "Did David eat or drink anything in the time between leaving the hospital and coming home?"

"I d-don't, I don't know," Snow stammered, "I mean he was at Granny's picking up dinner so most likely he could have had something to eat or drink while waiting for the order."

Emma immediately pulled out her phone, "I'm calling Graham." She took her mother's hand, "We're going to get to the bottom of this."

Snow could only nod weakly when she noticed nurses rushing into the room with buckets of ice water as other nurses were removing her husband's shirt. "What's going on?"

"David's body temperature spiked tremendously, to a rather dangerous level," Dr. Whale replied. "It's a symptom of poisoning."

"Is this curable? W-What can we do?"

"The only way to cure it is if we know what kind of poison he was intoxicated with. Only then can we know what antidote to give him. What we've done is sent his vomit content to the lab. The results should be back soon. I just hope…" Dr. Whale's voice trailed off.

And Snow knew exactly what the doctor was about to say, letting out a gasp. She then looked over to the bed where the nurses were now covering her husband's chest and forehead with iced wet cloths, trying to lower his fever. James shook violently at the cold. Snow came beside him immediately and took one of the cloths to help him herself. She held his hand in one of hers as her other hand used the cloth to dab over James' furrowed brows.

"It's okay," she whispered into his ear, tears stinging in the back of her eyes, "It's going to be okay. I won't let anything happen to you."

James could only manage a weak nod at his wife, trusting her completely.

Emma came back into the room. James' mouth opened slightly, as if struggling to muster out a word to his daughter but no sound came out. Snow ran her hand gently down his arm.

"I'm going to the diner to investigate with Graham," Emma said. She walked from the door over to the bed and hesitated, fingers slightly trembling in the air before reaching out to hold one of her father's hands. "I'm going to find out who did this to you."

James tried to keep his eyes open to look into his daughter's eyes and tried to smile, trying to assure his little girl that her daddy was going to be okay. He tried to stifle back a violent cough but it soon erupted from his chest as he shook again from the cold. Snow returned her attention to him immediately but glanced at her daughter quickly, giving her a nod. Emma squeezed her mother's shoulders gently before heading out the door.

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><p><strong>So this is the drama that I've been trying to build up to and I hope it doesn't disappoint. Also, please excuse any medical inaccuracies. Some things might sound a bit far-fetched but I hope not by much and I hope you guys enjoyed the drama. And don't forget to review!<strong>


	7. Unaccounted For

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So I wasn't planning on updating so soon but after seeing all your reactions to the last chapter, I decided to go for it. So enjoy, and thanks for all your support!**

**Please excuse any medical inaccuracies. Some things might sound a bit far-fetched but hopefully not by much and I hope you guys enjoy the drama. And don't forget to review!**

* * *

><p>7. Unaccounted For<p>

"Ruby, tell me again what happened," Emma asked of the diner owner's granddaughter. She glanced over at Graham who was interviewing some patrons and other waitresses.

Ruby shuddered at the news that she had just heard about James. "David was just here," she nodded her chin towards the very seat in which he sat at the counter, "He ordered take-out and ordered an additional hot chocolate to drink while he waited."

Emma froze immediately. "Did you notice his reaction when he drank it?"

Ruby shook her head, "I wasn't the one who brought it to him and I didn't see him take a sip but when I came out from the back with his take-out order, he definitely looked sick. Very sick."

Emma scrubbed her hand over her face as the realization began to hit her. "Who prepared the drink?"

Ruby scrunched up her forehead, trying to remember. "I don't know, but it wasn't me." She opened the bar door from the inside to lead Emma in. "The order sign-ins are in the kitchen." Emma followed her in.

Ruby walked over to where they kept track of each of the servers' orders. As she raked through the pile, she furrowed her brows, squinting at the receipts in her hand.

"What?" Emma asked at Ruby's perplexed reaction.

"That's so weird. There's no record of any hot chocolate orders from this evening. All of our servers know to always keep track of their orders," Ruby replied.

Emma took the receipts from Ruby, dreading the fear that was arising from her chest. "Are all your employees accounted for?"

"What?" Ruby was shocked.

"Are all your employees accounted for?" Emma repeated. "This can't be just a coincidence that the very order that made David sick was not signed in properly."

"Umm," Ruby stuttered, still shocked at the idea that one of her staff could have intentionally hurt a customer. "Most of them who were here earlier just finished their shifts and have gone home for the night."

Emma nodded, "Did you notice anything suspicious about any of your employees? Were any of them jittery? Nervous?" she poked her head out the door and motioned for Graham to come in.

"N-No," Ruby scrunched up her face again, trying very hard to remember, "I don't think anything was out of the ordinary."

Graham was soon in the kitchen and Emma was repeating for him everything that they had just learned. "Do you want to go knocking on doors and pulling everyone out of bed?" he asked, referring to the employees who had finished their shift for the day.

"I want to go back to the hospital, see if they found out what poison David ingested." Emma replied.

Graham nodded. He could tell that this was not just part of the investigation but also a personal matter as well. From what he could see, Emma and Mary were extremely close; and since David was a huge part of Mary's life, Emma no doubt cared much for him as well. They were all roommates and Graham understood that this case was a very hard one for Emma. Although he could never know just how deeply personal this case actually was for her, he knew that she shouldn't push herself or get too involved. "Hey, are you sure you're okay? Why don't you call it a night? Go back to the hospital to be with Mary and David. Or go home. I think you need to slow down on this. I'll take care of it tonight and we can pick right back up tomorrow morning."

Emma was about to shake her head in protest but something inside her was urging at her to listen and go be with her newfound family in this time of need. She shot him a quick, grateful smile before heading out the door.

* * *

><p>When Emma got back to the hospital, it was a bit calmer than it was when she had left. Her father's room now only had two nurses left who were still tending to his fever and monitoring his very weak heart rate. Her mother sat in a chair at her father's side with her head lowered to rest on top of her arms over James' lap. Emma looked at her father's face with his oxygen mask on and his eyes closed, no doubt asleep after the exhausting torture that his body had just endured in the last three hours. She walked over slowly and gently placed a hand on Snow's hunched shoulder. Her mother immediately sat up to look at her daughter and Emma could see that her eyes were red and puffy.<p>

"Hey," Snow whispered, as if afraid of the news that her daughter was about to give her.

Emma's face fell and she lowered her lips to whisper in her mother's ear, not wanting the nurses to overhear. "It was… it was foul play…"

Snow's eyes widened and she tried to compose herself, not wanting to alarm the nurses either. She slowly let go of her husband's hand and nodded her chin towards the door. Emma nodded in return, understanding.

The two made their way outside the room and waited until they were out of earshot of anyone around before Snow gave Emma a pleading look, begging her daughter for answers.

Emma sighed and finally said, "He was poisoned intentionally, I'm almost sure of it," she looked over to see that her mother was slightly trembling, holding on to the ledge of the window for support. "He had ordered some hot chocolate and I think he felt the effects almost immediately." She glanced at James through the window before continuing, "That's not all. His order wasn't signed out by any of the servers. Ruby always makes the waitpersons keep track of their orders and David's order wasn't signed out. His drink seems unaccounted for."

Snow gasped and could only manage to muster out shakily, "Th-The Queen!"

Emma nodded her head, "That's what I was thinking was well. She has her minions all over the place."

Snow began to cry again, "This is all my fault!"

Emma took her mother's hand in her own. "How is this your fault?"

"I'm the one she hates! She's using him as collateral damage to get to me! She knows that it's the worse fate in the world to see him like this! Helpless, suffering and dying! She's done this before, now she's just trying to finish the job!" Snow was so angry at her wicked stepmother- and at herself- that she could spit. She buried her face in her hands, this moment bringing her back so closely to a time when she had lost him before, with the magic of the curse swirling all around them, she clutched on to her husband's lifeless body as the Queen stood over them laughing in amusement and triumph.

Emma remembered the story of how her father had lovingly protected her in his arms before succumbing to the Queen's wrath. It was one that she previously insisted on hearing more than once for some sentimental, vulnerable reason. Now it just pained her. "Hey, look at me," Emma said and Snow slowly brought her face from her hands to look at her daughter. "This is not on you okay? Do you hear me? This is not anybody's fault but Regina's!"

"She must have known we were back together. I can't believe I was so stupid! We should have been more careful!" Snow was ranting.

They stood there in the hallway, both staring through the glass at their husband and father before Emma remembered. "Did they find out what the poison was?"

Snow's face fell, "Yes." Emma was confused at her mother's disappointment but Snow continued, "but it's so rare that they're using all their resources to try to develop the antidote, before… before…" Snow's voice trailed off.

"It'll be okay. David's strong. He hung in there for 28 years right? _I've got faith_." Emma's unknowing echo of her father's own words all those years ago brought tears to Snow's eyes and she clutched onto her daughter's hand as the two stood side-by-side in silence, seeking comfort in each other's company.

* * *

><p>Snow was roused from her light sleep at Emma's sudden movement beside her. She jerked her head in alert towards her husband's sleeping body before turning over to notice her daughter. The hospital staff had brought in an additional armchair so that Emma could stay in the room overnight. Explaining that Emma was just like family had been difficult but Snow was finally able to convince the doctors and nurses that her presence was important to "David." Snow reached over to lightly brush her fingers over Emma's wrist. Emma stirred a bit before her eyes fluttered open.<p>

"I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to wake you," Snow whispered.

"It's okay, I was about to wake up anyway." Emma sat up and slightly frowned. "Couldn't sleep?"

Snow shook her head, "I've been drifting in and out. The instant he moves, I'm up," Snow replied, motioning in James' direction. "How about you?"

Emma shook her head, "Me neither." She paused for a couple moments, "How is he?" she asked, nodding towards James.

"I don't know," Snow replied. "He's still burning up," she sat up and reached over to gently lay her hand across James' forehead, feeling the heat beneath her fingers, "but he hasn't vomited at all in the past few hours."

Emma shuddered at the memory of her father's blood.

Mother and daughter sat in silence as the moonlight beamed through the hospital room window. Everything was dark except for a small flicker of light coming from outside the room, around the corner of the hallway where the nurses' station was.

Suddenly, James stirred slightly and Snow sat upright immediately on alert. He began to cough and Snow placed her hand on his chest, rubbing gently, trying to relieve his pain. "James, sweetheart, you alright?"

There was no reply and then everything happened so fast: James' heart monitor started beeping erratically, and amid the chaos of Snow's screams for help, nurses and Dr. Whale rushed into the room. The nurses and Emma tried to pry Snow away to stand in the corner as she fought them, screaming at James to wake up, the sound of the monitor piercing her ears. She didn't bother filtering her words as his name, "James," came crashing repeatedly from her lips as she sobbed. Nobody seemed to notice anyway as they were all frantically trying to re-start his heart.

Dr. Whale grabbed the defibrillator and barked orders at the attending nurses. He placed the paddles on James' bare chest and Snow grimaced in her daughter's arms as she saw her husband's body shoot up from the electrical impact. After several seconds, the monitor's beeping began to calm down slightly, indicating somewhat of a success. Snow was about to release her breath when the erratic beeping picked up again.

"Where's that damn antidote?" Dr. Whale roared into the hallway. A nurse ran in with a syringe on a tray and with the necessary great force, Dr. Whale swiftly raised the syringe above his head and brought it down firmly so that the needle entered James' chest. The room fell silent as everyone held their breath, staring at the monitor for the seconds that felt like hours. The beeping began to slow down again and the previously flat line started regaining marginal activity.

Snow had not even noticed that Emma had been digging her fingernails into her arm until she felt the gradual release of their sharp pressure. She slowly looked up at Dr. Whale who let out a breath of his own, hands rising to scrub down his face.

* * *

><p>Snow was exhausted but she couldn't bring herself to close her eyes. Her husband had been unconscious for over a day now, lying still on the hospital bed with nasal oxygen tubes to support his breathing. The impact of the cardiac arrest had clearly taken a toll. She was obviously relieved that he was still alive but petrified at the daunting possibility that he would not wake up, that his condition could worsen at any moment. <em>Come back to me<em>, she would plead with a kiss, but nothing happened.

"Hey," Emma said softy from the door. She had gone out to get coffee and walked over to the bed to hand Snow a cup.

Snow smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks."

Emma lowered herself into her chair. "Is he…?"

"Still unconscious, yeah."

Emma only nodded her head. The doctors had told them that this was expected but it was still terrifying.

A couple hours passed. Snow was trying to occupy herself by grading papers and Emma had just gotten off the phone with Graham. Their investigation had come to a dead end. _Of course it would. Regina was no fool._

James suddenly stirred and Snow and Emma were by his side in an instance. After some muffled groaning, his eyes slowly fluttered open and he looked up to see his two beautiful girls staring back at him, frozen. "Snow…Emma," he gasped huskily.

"J-James…" Snow stroked his cheeks, glancing at Emma who nodded and moved to the door to alert the nurses and doctors.

Dr. Whale came in immediately. "David, you're awake," the doctor remarked, "How are you feeling?"

A confused look briefly crossed over James' face as he suddenly realized that he was in the hospital as "David." He tried to sit up but halted as the sudden movement sent spasms of pain racing through his body. He gritted his teeth and sunk back down into the pillow. "What happened?" he asked, raking his brain trying to remember how he ended up here.

"What do you remember?" Dr. Whale asked.

"Umm," James started, furrowing his brow. "I was here. At the hospital. I think I then left… Granny's!" James started to remember. "I don't know what happened next but I think I went home. And now I'm here again. And I'm pretty sure I was throwing up." He glanced over at Snow who was now holding his hand, nodding her head as he correctly recounted the events. "How long have I been here?"

"Well," Dr. Whale began, going over the timeline, "you were here early Friday evening for your routine physical and I deemed that you were almost fully recovered from your post-coma." James nodded his head in agreement. "You left the hospital and apparently went to Granny's where you picked up take-out for dinner. You also had a cup of hot chocolate." Dr. Whale paused as understanding came over James.

"I remember that," James said, crinkling his forehead.

Dr. Whale nodded and continued. "I guess your drink was spiked with some kind of poison because-"

"Y-You stumbled home vomiting blood," Snow cut in with a whisper and shuddered.

James frowned at the memories as Dr. Whale nodded and continued. "I was told that Emma was able to regain your pulse after you lost consciousness at home." James immediately looked to his daughter who was looking down to the floor. "We brought you to the hospital and you were burning up. We iced your body and the labs were rushing to get the antidote and you continued to vomit," Dr. Whale recounted. "Around three o'clock in the morning, early Saturday, you suddenly went into cardiac arrest as the poison was spreading through your system but we gave you the antidote in the nick of time." Shock came over James' features as he instinctively lifted his hand to pass over his upper torso, feeling the puncture of the needle through his shirt. He looked up at his wife and daughter. He didn't want to burden them with this fear and worry. "And you've been unconscious since then. It's now late Sunday morning," Dr. Whale finished.

The doctor then took out his stethoscope and slipped it underneath James' shirt to press against his bare chest. The cold of the metal gave James a slight shiver and he could feel Snow's hand squeeze tightly around his own. "I know it's painful but I need you to take a deep breath, okay?" Dr. Whale requested. James nodded and tried to suppress the pain as he released a deep breath. _Damn it was painful!_ Dr. Whale listened intently and then placed his hand on James' shoulder and guided him to sit upright with Snow's help. He raised the back of James' shirt and pressed the stethoscope against his upper back. "Again," the doctor instructed and James winced as he repeated the labored motion. Snow then helped him lie back down and Dr. Whale proceeded to roll up James' shirt again. "I need you to tell me where and when you feel the pain, okay?" and the doctor began to palpate his abdomen. James grimaced severely in pain at the touch. Dr. Whale nodded and lowered James' shirt. He then pressed a button on the side of the bed and the headboard slowly moved upright until James was sitting up again. Dr. Whale took out a tongue depressor and his flashlight. "Open?" and James opened his mouth as the doctor pressed down on his tongue, peering down his throat. "David, does your throat hurt?" Dr. Whale asked as James nodded. "Just as I suspected," the doctor muttered.

"Wh-What? What did you suspect?" Emma asked from the foot of the bed. It was the first time that James heard his daughter speak since he woke up.

"That the poison caused severe internal scarring. I suspect that the strong acid must have caused a lot of burns to the tissue linings of his esophagus and abdomen. From what I can see, his throat is greatly inflamed." Dr. Whale then moved towards the door, "Take it easy David. You've got quite another recovery ahead of you."

After Dr. Whale left the room, James glanced back and forth between his wife situated by his bedside and his daughter still standing at the foot of the bed. "Why so serious?" he smiled at them meekly.

After several moments, Snow finally broke the silence. "You-You're okay," his wife's voice was trembling, tears streaming down her face.

"I'm okay," James echoed, reaching his hand out to tenderly wipe the tears from her cheeks.

James looked over at Emma who eyed him intently before opening and closing her mouth several times hesitantly, reminding him a goldfish, _a very adorable but scared goldfish_. Finally, she allowed herself to speak. "Don't you ever," Emma fought to steady her voice, "do that again," she told her father under her breath.

A flicker of love and amusement came over James' face as he took in his daughter's sheer concern. "I'll try," he grinned up at her and managed to let out a breathy laugh as she rolled her eyes.

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><p><strong>So I hope that was dramatic enough for you guys. Again, please excuse any medical inaccuracies. And please review :) You guys have truly been amazing and I cannot thank you enough!<strong>


	8. Babysitter

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So here are the beginnings of some "daddy's little girl" fluff for y'all. Enjoy! And don't forget to review. Thanks so much for all your reviews. I could never have gone this far without you all.**

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><p>8. Babysitter<p>

It was now Monday. James had insisted that Snow continue to go to work. "I'll be fine," he reassured her repeatedly the night before and she reluctantly gave in, making him and the nurses swear up and down to call her immediately should anything happen. Emma, however, he couldn't fight, and he could barely contain the joy in his heart when she insisted adamantly on staying.

Emma didn't want to admit it but her father's increasingly steadier breathing began to ease the anxiety that had been building up inside her for the past 60 hours. As she would look at him sleeping peacefully, she felt like layer after layer of worry and fear were slowing shedding away.

James woke up sometime in the late morning and Emma was immediately on alert. "Hey," James smiled up at her sleepily.

"Hey," Emma returned with a smile of her own.

"Where's Snow? Has she gone to work yet?" James asked, knowing his wife would have most likely found a way to stay despite their agreement last night.

"Yeah. I was able to convince her to leave early this morning," Emma replied.

"Good girl," James grinned up at her.

Emma blushed slightly at his paternal, affectionate praise. James looked intently at his daughter seated in the armchair next to him.

"What?" Emma asked noticing his stare.

James smiled. "Nothing, it's just you seem to have something on your mind."

Emma only shook her head. "So what do you want to do today?" she asked as she rose from her chair to prop his headboard upright with the button on the side of his bed, helping him sit up.

His eyebrows rose humorously. "You're the babysitter. What do you want to do?"

Emma smirked as she lowered herself back into her seat. "Well, I was thinking that maybe, you know, we could…" she paused and looked at him, trying to find a way to continue and he nodded encouragingly. "Well I was hoping you could tell me some stories," she bit her bottom lip, "you know, of _back then_." She looked away, a bit embarrassed at the childish suggestion but the wide, hopeful grin spreading across her father's face allowed her to bring a smile of her own to her lips.

"There are so many memories." James was thrilled that Emma was beginning to accept her history and that now he would have a chance to be the father he'd always wanted to be: to be able to tell his daughter stories. "What do you want to know?"

Emma pursed her lips contemplatively before settling on a good starting point. "Tell me about the castle. I'm assuming you guys lived in a castle, right?"

James nodded his head smiling. "Indeed we did. It was a beautiful castle, Emma," James recalled nostalgically. "It was ivory on the outside and on the inside, the long corridors were decorated with colorful tapestries and magnificent stain-glassed windows. The libraries were lined with hundreds and thousands of books, the bindings glistening in such vibrant leather. The kitchen always smelled delicious. I was always able to charm Alice, the cook, into sneaking me a sample before supper," James grinned cheekily as Emma smiled widely. "I would always have to hide from your mother though as Snow would smack the snack right out of my hand and scold me that I was spoiling my dinner," and Emma let out a sweet laugh at her mother's sassiness. "The stables were always lined with fresh hay and the horses would always whinny playfully whenever they heard the doors open. I would spend a lot of time there, in the stables, in addition to on the training field with my men. Your mother, however," James smiled at the thought of his beautiful wife, "she loved the rose gardens."

Emma began to smile at the thought until James suddenly starting wheezing slightly, coughing up tiny traces of blood. The doctor had told them to expect this, that it was a sign that the antidote was succeeding and that his body was working to expel the remaining remnants of the poison, but it still freaked her out. All she could do was hold a napkin up to his mouth until he finished coughing, patting his back lightly, and then hand him a glass of water. He took the glass gratefully, smiling at her, trying to erase the frown that marred her beautiful face.

"You should rest. We don't have to continue," Emma began but James cut her off.

"Nonsense. I'm fine," James said shaking his head after taking a gulp of water.

Emma opened her mouth to protest but James wouldn't hear of it. "Fine," Emma said, giving in. "So Mom liked the gardens?"

James froze and then nodded dumbly, taken aback that his daughter had just referred to Snow as "Mom." Emma noticed his surprised reaction and tried to ignore it, turning her face away in embarrassment at her blunder. Her father's condition had brought her and her mother closer than ever and she began to feel slightly uneasy yet at the same time, comforted at the thought. She couldn't explain it.

"Yes. We would often take walks in the garden when I wasn't busy with duties and it was a routine she loved to share when her best friends visited," James finally said with a smile.

Emma was grateful that James didn't decide to dwell on her gaffe. "Best friends?" Emma wondered.

"Yes. Princess Ella was one of them."

"Ella?" Emma scrunched up her forehead trying to rake through her childhood memories for a fairytale princess named Ella.

James noticed and sighed. "I believe most people in this world are more familiar with 'Cinderella'," he said frowning, for he did not like referring his dear friend by that name.

"Ah," Emma responded curtly, smiling at the thought of her mother, Snow White, being best friends with Cinderella, or Ella rather.

"Anyway, I mentioned that I enjoyed the stables and Snow loved the rose gardens but you know what, Emma?" James reached over to take his daughter's hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "We both loved the nursery the most."

Emma froze. "What?"

James smiled. "It was one room that we probably dedicated most of our time to. We wanted it to be perfect for you, Emma. Everyday, I'd go in there looking around to see if there was any space left for me to squeeze in an extra stuffed animal," James looked at his daughter who remained speechless. "And Snow would always trace her fingers over the carving designs of your crib," James smiled. "She commissioned the crib from Geppetto and asked him to etch the intricate designs himself. Overhead your crib hung the most beautiful mobile I had ever seen. Your mother and I would sometimes venture out into the village and one time, as we were exploring the market, this beautiful blue and white crystal unicorn mobile caught our eye. We just had to buy it for you. I found it again in Mr. Gold's shop and shortly after we all found each other again, I came back to purchase it. I have it hidden in the dresser in our bedroom and I've been waiting for the right moment to give it to you."

Emma remained silent. James squeezed her hand again and she looked up into his eyes, slightly smiling. She could feel tears prickling in the back of her eyes and suddenly pulled away from her father's grasp, turning away from him to wipe them with the back of her hand.

"Well, I never thought that I'd like unicorns but I suppose I could manage an exception," Emma finally said as she turned back around to face him with a wry smile and James laughed heartily.

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><p>The next couple of hours were filled with James continuing to tell Emma of his old life, of his old friends: Geppetto, the Blue Fairy, Jiminy, Red Riding Hood, Granny, the Dwarfs, Ella and Thomas; so many memories. She would help him identify their Storybrooke counterparts with the ones she knew of. Father and daughter laughed easily together and Emma forgot that she was supposed to still maintain control of her emotional wall.<p>

"One time, Thomas and I were riding through the forest during one of his and Ella's visits when Grumpy and Dopey came out of nowhere, spooking Thomas' horse. They had heard my voice and just wanted to greet us but Dopey launched forward unexpectedly and Thomas' horse threw him off. He wasn't badly hurt but Snow made the dwarfs apologize endlessly to Ella," James recalled with a smile. "She scared them pretty badly. After that, they dared not pop up from behind any trees unannounced," he chuckled.

Emma let out a laugh of her own. "Yeah, Leroy's…something," she said with a grin.

"Is that what Dopey's called here?" James asked.

Emma shook her head. "Sounds more like Grumpy to me, judging by your descriptions. And I'm assuming he's just as much of a troublemaker back then as he is here," Emma grinned.

"Oh I would expect nothing less," James grinned in return.

"What about Granny? Did you know her well?" Emma asked curiously. She noticed that her parents would always give Granny a longing look whenever the elderly woman made an appearance at the diner and couldn't help but wonder if she meant something to them.

"Oh yes. We practically made her your adoptive grandmother even before you were born. She's the one who knitted you that baby blanket you know," James said smiling at the memory.

Emma's eyes went wide at the touching thought. "She…She did?"

James nodded. "The entire kingdom adored you Emma, even before your arrival. I've never seen a newborn princess' welcome into the world more anticipated than yours. Everybody was willing to go to great lengths to keep you safe."

Emma didn't even notice the slight tears again building up for a second time in the back of her eyes and quickly tried to wipe them away unnoticed. She silently cursed herself for being so emotional today. Luckily, she was soon interrupted and Emma was thankful for the diversion. They had forgotten how quickly time had passed until suddenly, a bundle of brown hair bounded into the room and bounced onto James' bed, throwing his arms around James to embrace him in a big hug.

"Henry!" Emma scolded. "Be careful! You could seriously hurt him!"

Henry quickly pulled back to give his grandfather an apologetic look, hoping the damage was not done but James only smiled back at him widely, tousling his hair. "It's okay, Emma. I'm fine." He looked at his grandson. "How are you, Henry? I've missed you."

"Good!" Henry beamed up at him. "I've missed you too! I was so worried," Henry said as James frowned slightly at his young grandson's burden. "But guess what?" Henry grinned excitedly.

James' own grin returned to his face. "What, Henry?"

"Grandma called her bluebirds into the classroom today," Henry was bubbling with delight. "How does she do that?"

"I'll bet she did," James laughed and then leaned into Henry's ear, whispering, "And between you and me, it's magic." He pulled back, winking at his grandson. Henry gaped in amazement and Emma smiled at her son's wonderment. James smiled to himself as well as he remembered the times when he would ask his wife to come to the animal shelter where he worked during her lunch period whenever he was having trouble with an animal. Snow would always know what to do. James glanced at the door to see that his wife had just reached the entrance of the room. _Henry sure was a fast runner_, he realized. A huge grin spread across his face at seeing her presence. Snow smiled at him in return as she walked over to his bed and leaned down to peck a quick, soft kiss to his cheek.

Noticing that perhaps her parents would want a moment alone, Emma walked to the door. "I'm going to go get some coffee," she directed a look at her son. "Henry, come with me."

Henry looked up at his grandfather's face confused. _But I just got here!_ he was about to argue, but soon realized what his mom meant and slipped off the bed to walk over to the door and took his mom's outstretched hand. Emma smiled down and ruffled her son's hair. "They'll be right here when we get back," Emma confirmed and James and Snow smiled back, nodding before Henry and Emma closed the door behind them.

Snow leaned down again to kiss her husband's lips and then smiled as she sat down in the armchair by his bed. "I missed you," she told him, reaching up to lightly trace the scar on his jaw, a silent form of affectionate communication that they shared.

"I missed you more," James countered with a broad smile.

"How are you feeling? How was your day with Emma?" Snow pressed her hand to his forehead, feeling for signs of his retreating fever. She then moved her hand back to smooth over his hair as he leaned into her touch.

James chuckled softly as he recalled the last couple of hours with his daughter. "Interesting," was all he said with a grin. Snow raised her eyebrows at him, beckoning for him to continue. "She asked me to tell her stories," James said with smile. "Of our old life."

"Well it seems that you two bonded quite well," Snow said smiling at their family's growing relationship. "Now I'm the one who's jealous," she teased.

"You shouldn't be. She called you 'Mom' today," James replied with a smirked grin.

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><p><strong>So I hope you guys enjoyed that bit of softie Emma coming through. :)<strong>

**Thank you everyone for all your support! Please review!**


	9. Fine

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**A bit more father-daughter and mother-daughter relationship development. Again, please review!**

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><p>9. Fine<p>

It was early afternoon when James suddenly found it more difficult to breath again. And then he was wheezing. The throbbing that erupted in his chest and throat was intense and he was soon clutching his chest, coughing. Two nurses rushed in and tried to figure out what was wrong. One nurse placed an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth while another listened to his chest through a stethoscope.

"Mr. Nolan, you've seemed to have a sudden coughing attack. Fortunately, you're not coughing out blood. Are you having trouble breathing?" one of the nurses asked.

James could only nod his head as he tried to calm his coughing through the mask. "Don't call Sn-...Mary," he managed to gasp out. "I don't want her to worry. I'm fine."

The nurse shot him a concerned look but then nodded after agreeing that although the coughing attack was seemingly aggressive, they would wait it out first.

James continued coughing for several minutes straight. He held the mask closely against his face, desperately seeking relief as the nurses instructed him to breathe deeply through the wheezing. After noting that his coughing was beginning to die down after several minutes, the nurses checked his pulse, took his temperature and blood pressure, and then waited until the coughing calmed completely before leaving the room. James leaned back in bed and groaned loudly, finally allowing himself to release expressions of pain now that he was alone.

About half an hour later, Emma walked towards James' room during her lunch break when she froze at the sight through the window. Her father had an oxygen mask around his face and looked somewhat pale. "What the hell happened?" she asked a nurse but before waiting for a reply, Emma opened the door to barge into the room.

James, who had his eyes closed leisurely, shot his head up at his daughter's bold entrance and saw the utter fear in her eyes. Before giving the nurse who followed behind a chance to speak, James lowered his mask and tried to calm his daughter. "Emma, I'm fine, really. Nothing to worry about. Just a minor episode not long ago, that's all."

"You don't look fine," his daughter countered bluntly before turning to the nurse, "What happened?"

"He was fine this morning until suddenly, maybe half an hour ago, he started having a brief coughing attack and had some trouble breathing. We gave him some extra oxygen and Dr. Whale came in and confirmed that it was a minor attack. It started to die down and he's now doing fine," the nurse replied.

"See?" James told his daughter, smiling, trying to ease her fear.

She narrowed her eyes slightly at him, trying to tell him that this was a serious matter.

James smiled to himself. "Can I take off this mask now? It really is unnecessary," James asked the nurse, pulling at the oxygen mask that he had now let drop around his neck.

"I think it should be fine but I'm going to call Dr. Whale in. He would want to make sure. He should be in in a couple of minutes," the nurse replied.

James nodded his head as the nurse left the room. As soon as the door closed behind her, Emma began to lecture him. "You should have called!"

"I didn't want to worry you, or Snow. I'm fine, really," James replied.

"You're always going to think you're fine and insist that there's nothing to worry about but what if you're not?" Emma swallowed slowly, "What if something serious happens?" her voice was slightly shaky and vulnerable as she tried to move her thoughts away from the unthinkable.

James looked at her, adoring the worry that she was showing her father. "I'm shocked at the lack of confidence you have in me," he told her teasingly, grinning up at her.

"Dad, this isn't funny."

Shock overtook him. She had used the term seriously. He was silent for a couple more seconds, taking it in before he could bring himself to speak. "N-No, of course not. Well, it's over now. Dr. Whale will soon come in and confirm that it's all passed." He looked up into his daughter's face but Emma had noticed her own slip-up and looked away in embarrassment.

And as if on cue, there was a curt knock on the door before Dr. Whale stepped into the room.

"Emma," the doctor greeted, giving her a nod before turning to James. "How are you feeling David?"

"Much better now, thanks. Can you please assure my dau-…umm roommate that everything's fine and that it was just a minor episode?" James glanced quickly at Emma who was still frowning at his stubbornness.

Dr. Whale took out his stethoscope and listened to James' chest before pulling away and nodding satisfied. "That indeed seems to be the case. It seems to have cleared up. Of course, your breathing's not perfect but it has returned to how it was this morning, before the coughing. The rest will get better with time. You can remove the mask for now if you'd like but don't hesitate to alert us the moment you have trouble breathing again."

James and Emma both thanked Dr. Whale before he left the room.

Raising an eyebrow at his daughter, James smirked lightly, "I told you that I'm okay." Emma only rolled her eyes and James could see the doubt returning to sweep across his daughter's beautiful face. "Hey, come here," James said, opening his arms to his daughter who guardedly and hesitantly moved forward to oblige to his comforting offer.

James pulled his daughter tightly against him as Emma gave in to her resistance, allowing his embrace to assuage her worry. James realized that this was the first time that he had ever been able to closely hold his full-grown daughter and smiled to himself into her long blonde hair, treasuring every second. He never wanted to let her go. After a moment, Emma began to pull away slightly from her father to look him in the eyes. "If you were okay, you wouldn't be here in this hospital," she countered.

He chuckled softly before pulling her in again to kiss the top of her head. She smiled contently.

* * *

><p>"Does your stomach still hurt, darling?" Snow asked James. She had returned from work and was now sitting on the edge of his bed, along with Emma who was seated in the armchair.<p>

James nodded his head slowly before reluctantly answering, "Yeah." He didn't want his wife to worry but he also knew that she could always tell and would give him hell for trying to hide it.

He looked up at her and she smiled lovingly back at him before lifting her hand to lightly brush across his abdomen. He understood immediately and smiled at her, nodding, encouraging her to continue. She slipped her hand underneath his shirt and began to gently rub away the pain that he had been feeling all day.

He closed his eyes in satisfaction and he lowered his head further back into his pillow with a content groan. The warmth of her touched immediately began to soothe his knotted throbbing and churning. "Thank you, honey," he said softly to his wife.

"Anytime, Charming," she teased, leaning down to kiss his forehead. He grinned broadly back at her.

Noticing their daughter's quiet discomfort at her parents' intimacy, James tried to quickly change the subject. "How's Henry?" he asked both of his girls.

"Fine, I guess," Emma replied, and James could sense sadness and bitterness tingeing in his daughter's voice as she continued, "Regina's keeping him on a tight leash."

James looked up at his wife who nodded in agreement, "I was intending to bring him here to visit you but Regina picked him up right after school today."

"She must be suspicious of us because she usually doesn't see him until 5:00 when they prepare to go to Archie's," Emma added, "Or trying to avoid any attention to herself." Emma didn't want to continue explaining, hoping that her parents understood her implication.

James nodded in comprehension, "We have to be careful. The last thing we want is for Henry to get hurt." James felt like he wanted to kill that woman for causing his family so much pain but knew that he had to remain levelheaded for his family's sake.

There was a brief silence with all three silently thinking hateful thoughts of the Evil Queen before James spoke again. "Speaking of Archie, who did Henry say he was again? Jiminy?"

"Yeah," Emma replied. "You guys knew him back there right?"

"Yes," her father answered back, "Although I'd never think that he would appear in this world as a human. But I guess that's because he was born human. Your mother and I only met him after he had been a cricket for many, many years. He was one of our closest advisors and served on our War Council."

"Jiminy Cricket the Conscience serving on a war council?" Emma snorted in amusement.

"You'd be surprised at how wise his advice is," James replied with a chuckle. "Although he did want to take out the Evil Queen through peaceful negotiation," he remembered with a grin.

Emma rolled her eyes. "I'm sure that would have worked out quite nicely," she countered sarcastically, causing her parents to laugh at her outright hostility.

The three just sat in comfortable silence for several moments, enjoying each other's presence when Snow glanced down to see that her husband had fallen fast asleep with a look of peaceful content eased across his face. The comfort of her soothing caress had finally lulled him off to a much-needed rest. She leaned down to place another kiss to his forehead before gently slipping her fingers from underneath his shirt and slid them down to hold his hand, slowly lowering herself back into her chair while maintaining her light grasp.

"He's been in a lot of pain today hasn't he?" Snow asked her daughter who could only stifle a nod before answering.

"I'm pretty sure he's been in a lot of pain this entire week but he just won't admit it. You know he tried to hide that 'minor' coughing incidence this afternoon?" Emma replied using air quotes, worrisome humor hinting in her voice as she acknowledged her father's pigheadedness.

Snow rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I know. He even called the nurse a tattletale when she tried to tell me about it," Snow said laughing. "Back then, it was just the same. Once, James returned home from a routine border patrol with a huge gash across his arm. He and the knights had come across a couple of bandits and James and our men overtook them with ease but James was hurt in the scuffle." Emma could have sworn that she saw a hint of fear briefly appear on her mother's features as she remembered that day but it was quickly gone as Snow continued. "He kept on insisting that he was fine. My pleading for him to rest was even not enough. I practically had to order his own men to drag him upstairs to our room for Doc to have a look at it. It took weeks to fully heal, and even then he would still protest that it was only a small cut."

"I guess he hasn't changed one bit then has he?" Emma smirked, cocking her head to look at her father's face.

Her mother only smiled back and shook her head, feathering her thumb gently across James' knuckles.

"Do you want me to go home and cook us dinner?" Emma asked her mother.

Snow looked at her daughter, smiling, "You don't have to, honey. I can do it."

"Nah. I want to. You stay with him," Emma replied, nodding her chin in the direction of her sleeping father, "What do you want, spaghetti?"

Snow raised her eyebrows and chuckled softly.

"What? You think I can't cook?" Emma asked in mocked offense.

"No, I'm sure you're a wonderful cook," Snow's eyes were glinting with laughter, "besides those burnt eggs you tried to make us a couple weeks ago."

Emma stood up grinning, uncharacteristically unable to think of anything clever to counter her mother's teasing. She glanced at the clock above the door of the hospital room. "I'll bring us back dinner at six. You want me to bring the leftovers from the soup you made for David yesterday?"

"Yes please. I know he's getting tired of the hospital food. Thanks so much sweetheart," Snow replied with a smile.

Emma smiled back and turned to walk towards the door. She was about to reach her fingers out to grab the handle when she abruptly swung around and came back towards Snow to give her mother a big hug.

Deeply moved, and a bit surprised, Snow tightly embraced her daughter in return, planting a soft kiss to the top of Emma's head.

When the mother-daughter pair finally pulled apart, Emma looked down at her father with a smile before heading out the door.

She was going home to cook her mother dinner. The familial normalcy of that thought caused her to shake her head with a smile in disbelief. In all of her life, she would never have thought that such an idea would ever even cross her mind, much less happen in real life.

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><p><strong>So that was some Emmaher parents development. That was kind of my whole intention for this entire storyline: to kind of bring in the dramatic kicker that would slowly melt away Emma's emotional wall. I hope my intentions are playing out successfully and I hope you guys liked it and don't forget to review!**


	10. Kings' Feudalism

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So I'm sorry for dragging out James' hospitalization for four chapters but I wanted to get the point across of how sick he really was. Like that poison was no joke; it impacted him severely in more ways than one and you'll see that in the next chapter. And I mainly wanted more character/family development in face of his illness; I feel like it brought the family closer (hence the description of this story). Hope you guys didn't mind. Anyway, we're finally moving forward in this chapter. Yay! :)**

**Some Snowing fluff and more family interactions.**

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><p>10. Kings' Feudalism<p>

"James, be careful!" Snow chastised.

James had finally been released from the hospital. Snow had insisted that he stay a bit longer to be sure but James stubbornly refused and as soon as Dr. Whale gave the okay, he all but bolted out the doors. He had been lying in that hospital for 28 years and wasn't about to spend any more time there than necessary. Emma drove them and dropped them off at home during her lunch break from work and James practically dashed through the door of their apartment like a child bounding down the stairs on Christmas morning.

"Don't forget you're still recovering," Snow continued to remind him.

James only grinned at her as he carefully lowered himself on to the couch, opening up his arms to his wife, patting his lap. "Come here," James continued to grin at her but Snow hesitated, not wanting to hurt him. James immediately knew what she was thinking and shook his head, pleading with puppy dog eyes and then shot her his most charming smile. "I'm not going to pass out from snuggling with you," he teased.

Snow only rolled her eyes with a smirk, moving forward to give in to his welcoming embrace. She gently sat down where he indicated on his lap, wrapped one arm around his neck and lifted her other hand to stroke through his hair. He closed his eyes, smiling, leaning in contently to her touch.

"Mmmm. It's good to be home," James hummed.

Snow smiled down at him. "I'm glad you're home too. I must have aged about ten years while you were in there."

James opened his eyes and frowned. "I'm so sorry for putting you and Emma through all that. It must have been hell. I can't even imagine."

Snow continued to caress her hand through his hair, matching his frown. "It was… terrifying, heart wrenching seeing you like that."

"I'm sorry," James repeated sincerely, gazing up into her beautiful green eyes.

Snow shook her head. "You have no reason to apologize, sweetheart. If anyone should apologize, it's me. Because of me, that witch continuously attempts to kill you. You have to suffer because of me…" Snow trailed off sadly and fearfully, looking away at the wall behind them.

James reached up to gently grab her hand from his hair, bringing it down to hold in his grasp. "Hey, look at me." When Snow continued to stare off blankly at the wall, James tenderly lifted her chin down to peer into his warm, blue eyes. "You cannot make this about you, okay? You're only allowing her to win by beating yourself up. I will always be here to protect you. Nothing that witch does will stop that."

Snow smiled down at him sadly, bringing her hand back up to continue stroking his hair. "I know. That's what scares me the most." They sat in silence for several seconds before Snow spoke again. "Are you tired, honey? Why don't I whip you up a bath? Then you can go rest."

James shot her a mischievous grin, raising his eyebrows coyly. "Are you going to join me?"

"Very funny, Charming." Snow leaned down to kiss him softly before getting up to head to the bathroom. James grabbed her hand, holding her back.

"Snow, you don't have to, darling. I can do it myself you know."

Snow shook her head smiling, "I want to. It'll be ready in a couple minutes." James nodded and let her go, knowing that there was no point arguing with his loving wife.

Snow let the warm water run in the tub and when it was filled, she returned to the living room to help James into the bathroom. "I'm not that weak," James muttered, slightly insulted.

"Quit complaining and let me take care of you, Charming," Snow snapped humorously in return.

"Oh, I'm not complaining at your care. Just that you don't believe me when I say that I'm fine," he replied with a smirk.

"You know, Emma and I discussed your pigheadedness," Snow retorted. James shot her a grin and allowed her to continue leading him to the bathroom.

James admitted that he still felt much pain and didn't protest when Snow helped him disrobe and climb into the tub. As he settled into the warm water, immediately relaxed as the warmth loosened his aching, Snow bent down to plant a kiss to his forehead before standing up. "I trust that you'll be able to handle it from here? Do you still need anything? Do you want me to leave?"

James shook his head. "I can handle it…" James lied, biting his bottom lip as Snow raised her eyebrows questioningly, "but could you stay?"

Snow smiled and sat back down on the lowered toilet seat. "Of course."

After Snow helped him bathe and dress (he tried to hide his pain with every move, as usual, with which Snow would only shoot him a disapproving frown), they made their way to the bedroom where James eagerly slumped onto the bed. He groaned in content as he sank back into the pillows. "I've never loved this bed more."

Snow smiled down at him as she sat on the edge of the bed beside him. "Not a fan of hospital beds, huh?" James shook his head fiercely, frowning, and Snow let out a sweet laugh as she pulled the covers up to tuck around his body. "Sleep. You need your rest if you want to fully recover."

James nodded and smiled as she ran her fingers through his damp hair again and soon he was sound asleep. Snow smiled as she reached out to trace the scar on his jaw and then leaned down to place a gentle kiss to his forehead.

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><p>After seeing her husband off to sleep, Snow headed back to the bathroom. She began to re-fill the tub and while the warm water ran, she went out to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of wine. She returned to the bathroom, set the glass down on the sink, and prepared for some time to herself. As she lowered herself into the water, wine glass in hand, she allowed relief to wash over her: relief that her James was home safely, relief that he was sleeping peacefully just down the hallway. As she took a sip of wine and lowered her head back against the edge of the tub with a relaxed groan, closing her eyes, her thoughts drifted back to a time when she had felt so similarly to all the tension she had been feeling in the past week.<p>

_Snow stared out the window into the dark of the night._

"_Your Majesty?"_

_Snow slowly turned around to face knight, fear racing throughout her body at her husband's disappearance but she tried to remain calm. "Yes? Has he returned?"_

"_There's no sign of him m'Lady."_

_Snow frowned but tried to reassure herself. "He knows the forest."_

"_It's very dark now, Your Majesty. And he has no back-up with him. Shall I send out a search party?"_

_Snow pursed her lips. Sending out a search party would only throw fire to the churning in her gut that something was terribly wrong. "He took his horse, correct?"_

"_He never informed anyone that he was departing, Your Grace, but yes, his horse is gone as well."_

_Snow hesitated, knowing that James wouldn't run off impulsively without reason. But with the Evil Queen, all reason was rashly gone. She had sent another threat earlier that day, a threat that made James shake with fury. _He just needed time to think_, Snow tried to remind herself. She knew that he needed his space. "Hold off on the search party for now. Just give it another half hour. He will come home. He always does."_

_The knight hesitated, but nodded and bowed curtly before leaving the room. Snow turned back around to continue staring out the window, praying for his safety and for some sense to come over him as she wrapped her night robe tightly around her, clutching her swollen abdomen._

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><p>James woke up and stumbled out of the bedroom to find his wife and daughter sitting on the couch watching TV. As soon as they saw his figure in the bedroom doorframe, both women smiled. Snow scooted over on the couch and patted the spot next to her and James happily came over to sit down between his two girls.<p>

"Hey David," Emma acknowledged casually beside him, keeping her eyes fixed on the old television set.

"Hey sweetheart," James replied with a grin. Emma rolled her eyes and James laughed softly.

Snow laughed as well as she leaned in to kiss him on the cheek. "Did you sleep well?"

"Mhmm," James smiled as Snow gently rested her head on his shoulder. "Wait," James looked down at Snow. "Were you able to get some rest yourself? I know you haven't been able to sleep much lately."

Emma snorted at her father's correct assumption. Snow shot her a mock glare before looking back up at her husband. "I haven't slept yet but while you were asleep, I did take a relaxing bath myself. I'll sleep tonight."

James frowned at his wife's own stubbornness but let it go as he knew she was dealing with everything in her own way. He was glad that she was at least able to relieve some stress with some time alone to herself in the bath. He soon turned his attention to Emma. "Don't think I've forgotten about you, Emma. I know you're no better than your mother."

Emma rolled her eyes again. "I've been at work," was her simple excuse.

James shook his head. "Still, I won't let the two of you continue to abuse your health because of me." Emma began to frown. She had been working endlessly to tie Regina, or anybody for that matter, to the poisoning but to no avail. She looked at her father with sad eyes, not wanting to let him down. James understood her expression immediately. "Hey," he began softly, reaching over to take his daughter's hand. "I don't expect anything, okay? We all know how slimy she is. You being here with me is enough, okay?"

Emma nodded, still frowning. "It doesn't change the fact that she committed attempted murder and is probably going to get away scotch free. I want to punch her so badly."

"Don't," James warned. "Don't stoop down to her level. She's not worth it. Besides, we have Henry's wellbeing to worry about. And don't forget that we currently hold some advantage in that she doesn't know that you're our child. You and Henry burned the last pages of the book, remember?" James pointed out as Emma nodded slowly, realizing that he was right. "We'll get her another day, and in a much more glorious manner with that," James smiled encouragingly.

Snow looked up at him. "How can you be so sure?"

James glanced back and forth between his wife and daughter. "Because," he began, "I'm not going to let anything get in the way of my family." And with that, Snow snuggled in closer in his arms.

The family continued to sit in silence, allowing the sound of the TV to mindlessly capture their attention.

"Who's up for some ice cream?" Emma suddenly suggested.

James and Snow raised their eyebrows at her humorously. "Well, it would be good to help your throat, James," Snow replied, smiling.

James nodded, smiling in return. "Ice cream it is then!"

"_After_ dinner," Snow emphasized.

"Fine," Emma huffed as she rolled her eyes.

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><p>After dinner, the family brought their bowls of ice cream over to the couch where they engaged in a board game of <em>Kings' Feudalism<em>.

"How appropriate," Emma smirked.

"I don't even remember how it ended up in this apartment." Snow scrunched her forehead trying to remember how "Mary Margaret" had acquired the board game.

"The Evil Queen does have some twisted sense of humor," James acknowledged.

They played into the evening as the family laughed and teased each other.

"Hey! No fair! Who says you can just barge on to my land and order my serfs?" Emma protested as her father made his move.

"Oh Emma, darling, don't you know that as lord, I trump your knight. And as King, or Queen, rather, Snow can control your vassals," James laughed.

Emma shot him a dirty look and Snow erupted in laughter before letting out a yawn.

"Okay, time for bed," James settled firmly.

Snow looked at him, pouting, and James couldn't resist leaning over to plant a soft kiss to her adorably pouted lips.

Emma made a face as she got up and stretched her arms. "No argument there. I'm beat."

They cleaned up the game and James and Snow bid their daughter goodnight as she retreated to her room. They then made their way to their own room where they got ready for bed and then slipped under the covers. James and Snow laid side-by-side facing each other with Snow's hand placed gently over James' chest and his hand placed lightly on her waist. Snow's eyes began to droop but she fought to keep them open to return her husband's gaze.

"Sleep," James encouraged, "I'm here now." Snow shook her head stubbornly, smiling at him. James sighed. "What am I going to do with you?" he chuckled.

"I'm not tired yet," Snow protested with a whine.

James rolled his eyes. "Sure you aren't." He slid his hand up to rub her back gently and she finally closed her eyes, concentrating on his steady heartbeat beneath her palm, reassuring her that he was really here and okay. As she smiled at the rhythmic soothing, she gave in to her built-up exhaustion and allowed slumber to overtake her. It was the first time she had been able to sleep peacefully and soundly all week.

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><p><strong>Yes, I made up my own board game. Hehe. Sorry if it's not exactly historically accurate. Or if it actually makes no sense. Or if it's just completely lame. <strong>

**Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And please review!**


	11. Vulnerable

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

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><p>11. Vulnerable<p>

There was a knock on the door. Snow was cooking dinner, Emma had just gotten home from work, and James was doing the laundry. He had been home for a little over a week now and had insisted on resuming his work around the house but Snow and Emma had always cleverly and quietly managed to finish all the chores themselves before he could get to them. He would always frown at them for their ridiculous notion that it would "tire him out" but smiled to himself as he remembered his small victory when they finally let him do the laundry.

James put down the laundry basket he was carrying and moved towards the door to peek out through the peephole. The sight made him freeze in terror. His heart was racing. No matter how loudly his brain was screaming at him, he couldn't move. Every fiber of his being was yelling at him to do something, to take action, but he just stood there, frozen in place.

"James?" Snow whispered from the kitchen, "Is everything alright? Who's at the door?" When James remained petrified in place, Snow walked over to the door to look through the peephole herself. She gasped. "Emma," she whispered, voice shaking, "take him to the other room." Emma's eye went wide as she understood immediately who was at the door. Suddenly, James finally moved, only to silently shake his head in protest. "Emma, _now_," Snow repeated firmly with a harsh whisper as Emma nodded and came over to the door to lead a still-dazed James to his and Snow's room. Snow was shaking as it took all of her strength to try to plaster on her most convincing smile as she yanked open the door. "Madame Mayor! What a surprise! Sorry that took so long."

Regina glared back, and then smoothed her features into a smirk. "Ms. Blanchard, it is my understanding that David Nolan now resides here, does he not?"

Snow narrowed her eyes. She couldn't believe the audacity of this woman. Her gut twisted inside at the mention of her husband coming from this woman's lips. "I don't know how that's any of your concern," Snow replied bluntly.

Emma was now standing at the doorframe to the other room, slowly moving towards the front door, fists clenched at her sides.

"It becomes my concern when I realize that he's just overcome a most horrid illness. Good grief! It's a miracle it hasn't infected anybody else," Regina smiled to herself. "David Nolan is a valued member of this community and I would just like to personally give him my regards."

"No," Emma seethed firmly from behind Snow. Regina shot her a glare in furor before forcing her own fake smile upon her face. It was charming really to see her so protective of sweet David Nolan. Whatever for, Regina could not understand but it was still quite a precious sight. Regina thought it was even more amusing how Emma felt the need to impose this sense of protectiveness around her in the first place.

"He's not home at the moment," Snow cut in quickly, trying to cover up her daughter's rash impulsiveness. _They had to maintain their cover._ "He stepped out to run a couple of errands but I'll be sure to tell him you stopped by. He'll be very flattered to know that he has the mayor herself concerned for his wellbeing," Snow lied through her teeth, internally wincing at her own words.

"Very well then," Regina sneered, entertained by the fact that they think they can fool her. "May I come in?"

"Absolutely not!" Snow replied a bit too harshly. "I'm sorry Madame Mayor but this is highly inappropriate. What exactly is this about? Because unless there is a specific reason why you're here, I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to leave. Like I said, _David is not home_."

Regina took a step back, stunned, but then quickly recomposed herself. Mary Margaret Blanchard had never dared talk to her like that before and quite frankly, Regina wasn't very sure what to make of that. "You be sure to give him my regards," she smirked, malice and threat glinting in her eyes before turning on her heels to walk back towards her car.

Emma and Snow remained at the open door, making sure that she had driven well down the street and around the corner before shutting it closed. Snow leaned her back against the door, sliding down it in relief, letting out a deep breath before she quickly remembered her husband. She bolted up hurriedly and walked over to open the door to their bedroom. She saw James sitting on the edge of the bed, shoulders hunched, head bowed, and hands clasped in his lap. Snow moved forward slowly, siting down beside him.

She reached her arm out to gently touch his shoulder. "James, sweetheart?" she whispered. Slowly, James raised his head to gaze at her. Snow saw the complete vulnerable fear in his eyes and she felt her heart break into a million pieces. "Oh, James honey." Snow moved her body closer and pulled him against her as he buried his face in the curve of her shoulder. She noticed that he had lost a significant amount of weight and now felt much gaunter in her arms as she held him closely, rocking them back and forth in silence.

"I'm so sorry," James finally whispered, his breath hot against the skin of her neck, his voice cracking.

Snow reached her hand up to smooth through his hair and down his back. "Whatever for, darling?"

"I…I'm such a coward. I knew that in that moment I was supposed to remain strong, to be able to know what to do, to be able to handle the situation but…" James' voice trembled, "I don't know what came over me. I-I just couldn't _move_. I felt like I couldn't _breathe_!" he whispered vulnerably.

Snow pulled back to grab his face between her hands. "Hey, listen to me. You are _not_ a coward. Do you hear me?" James moved her hands away to hang his head in shame as Snow reached her hand back up again to tenderly brush over his cheek. "You are the bravest man I know; a _real_ man. You were scared, sweetheart. There's no shame there." Snow brought her finger underneath his chin to gently lift his face up to hers. "Fear is nothing to be ashamed of. After what she did to you, after everything that you've been through. I would be concerned if you weren't frightened."

"Still, I could have been scared without cowering pathetically," James replied, sadness glinting in his eyes. He hated himself for being so useless and pitiable when his wife and daughter remained so courageous and strong.

"Hey, that's how fear works. It numbs you. It immobilizes you. Please don't beat yourself up because of this," Snow stroked his hair.

James gazed into her eyes. "You…You weren't scared?"

Snow smiled sadly, continuing to run her hand through his hair. "Of course I was scared. But how could I ever have reason to be as fearful of her as you do? I think I was more terrified for you than for myself. James, she caused you immense physical suffering. What she did to you, the torture that she caused you…" Snow shuddered, "You are perfectly justified to feel afraid, sweetheart."

"It's just that when I saw her standing there, at _our_ front door, she was just…she was just so _close_. It just felt like she was here to do it again," James shuddered.

"Shh…it's okay now," Snow slid her hand down his face to caress his scarred jaw with her thumb. "You're safe, my love."

They sat gazing at each other in silence. James finally began to smile slightly. "Thank you," he finally whispered huskily.

"For what, sweetheart?" Snow asked.

"For being here."

Snow smiled. "Always." She leaned in to kiss him sweetly and with that, all his fear was erased. He felt like the world could come collapsing down around him, that the Queen could throw as many curses and poisons as she wanted their way and it wouldn't matter because here, in this moment, with his wife's lips against his own, he felt safe and whole. He brought his arm around to tenderly brush the nape of her neck as he deepened the kiss.

"Where's Emma?" James asked when they finally pulled away.

"Oh my goodness. She's been much too quiet out there hasn't she," Snow noticed.

James and Snow stood up and walked hand-in-hand out of the bedroom. Emma was nowhere in sight.

"Oh no," Snow felt her gut tightening as she moved to open the door and poke her head outside. "Her car's gone."

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><p>Emma wasn't thinking. All she could do was allow her body to mechanically oblige to the traffic signals as she mindlessly drove her car towards Regina's house.<p>

She couldn't allow herself to think. Thinking would only deter her from her goal: to make Regina pay. Her father's pain was still there: not only physical pain but now emotional pain as well. She had seen the helpless fear in his eyes and it made her stomach churn with hatred for the one person who planted that fear. How could Regina roam free while continuing her subtle yet conniving threats? She mocked them with her taunting.

Emma parked her car outside 108 Mifflin Street and as she stormed up the walkway, movement from an upstairs window caught the corner of her eye and soon Henry came running out the door. All the fire that she had built up from her drive to the house quickly simmered upon seeing her son. She could never live with herself if Henry was caught in the middle of all this.

"Emma!" Henry's eyes grew wide in panic at seeing the rage in her eyes.

Emma tried to calm herself down. "Hey, Henry," she managed with a weak smile.

"What's wrong?" Henry asked worriedly.

Emma closed her eyes, trying to think of a way to explain. "Henry, Regina just came by the house…looking for David."

Henry froze, going pale. "She…She did? What did she do?"

Emma crouched down to level her eyes with that of her son's, taking his hands in her own. "I have no idea what she intended to do but we didn't let her go anywhere near David," she tried to reassure him.

Henry nodded and then eyed her, hesitant in forming his question. "Emma, what are you doing here?"

Emma's face fell. How was she supposed to explain to her 10-year-old child that she was here with the purpose of beating his legal mother to a pulp? Henry noticed her silence and immediately understood.

"Good always loses because good has to play fair," Henry said sadly. His words struck her. But before Emma could open her mouth to respond, the house door suddenly opened to reveal Regina herself.

"Henry, what are you doing outside? And Ms. Swan, just what do you think you're doing here?" Regina's eyes were shot with fury.

Emma moved forward towards her, resuming to clench her fists at her side. "I could ask you the same thing as to why you were really at my house earlier."

Regina narrowed her eyes. "I believe I made myself very clear in that I was concerned about David and just wanted to see how he was doing. It really is quite sad what happened to him. I can't even imagine what he must have gone through. He was _very_ fortunate indeed to have recovered." Emma could have sworn she saw laughter in her eyes.

Emma felt herself slowly raising her fist. _Don't stoop down to her level. She's not worth it_. Emma replayed her father's words over and over in her head, trying to urge herself to listen. _She can't know that I'm their child!_ But she felt like nothing else mattered in this moment. She just wanted the satisfaction of feeling the impact of this woman's jaw against her fist. She just wanted to wipe that malicious grin off the witch's face.

"Emma!" a voice called out and she abruptly lowered her arm and whipped around to see her father running towards her up the walkway.

Emma's eyes widened. "David?"

"My, my. What a sweet surprise!" Regina gleamed.

James stopped in front of Regina. "Madame Mayor, I just came home and Mary Margaret told me about your well wishes. I'd just like to deeply thank you for your concern," James smiled compellingly, confidence and strength ringing in his tone.

A glimmer of shock briefly crossed Regina's face; she eased her features into a smirk hidden by a smile. "I'm glad you're recovering well enough, David. I was very worried about you. You _take care_ of yourself now."

James nodded, keeping his gaze on Regina while trying to prevent his eyes from narrowing. "Oh, I will; _don't you worry_," he replied as Regina continued to smirk, holding his gaze. "Come on, Emma."

Emma could only nod dumbly in return, shocked by what she just witnessed. She slowly followed her father down the walkway towards their awaiting cars, only glancing back over her shoulder to smile encouragingly at Henry. As she turned back around, her eyes locked with those of her father's and she gave him a curt nod before stepping into her car. James closed her car door after her and moved behind to step into his truck. Father and daughter started their ignitions at the same time, and together, they drove away from the mansion towards home.

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><p><strong>So that was my attempt at a rare but understandably human side of Charming. Hope it came out well. Please review :)<strong>

**Up ahead: another emotional chapter coming up.**


	12. This Means Nothing

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So this chapter was heartbreaking to write but it can't all be rainbows and unicorns, right? Anyway, hope you guys still enjoy it and don't forget to review! You guys have truly been amazing.**

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><p>12. This Means Nothing<p>

_**Two months after the events of Chapter 11**_

It was well past two in the morning. James was still up in the living room, glancing at the clock (and the door) every few seconds. Suddenly, he heard keys jangling at the door and it soon opened to reveal Emma. She froze upon seeing him.

"Where have you been?" James asked from his position on the couch while trying to casually maintain his worry and sternness.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "Out."

James narrowed his eyes in return. "What, for drinks? With that strange man that just came into town?"

Emma planted her hands on her hips. "So what? What's it to you? How did you even know?"

"Emma, it's my job to know. And something about him feels… off to me. I don't like you seeing him," James declared.

Emma tried to control her temper. "My personal life is my own business," Emma spat. "That's not up to you!"

"I'm your father; I think it kind of is," James returned.

"You…" Emma walked towards him, shaking in anger, "have no right. You gave up that right 28 years ago. You're not my father!"

James felt like he had been punched in the gut, like a blow had been swung through his face. "What…" he rose slowly from the couch, clenching his jaw, shaking, "What did you just say?"

Emma matched his fury, refusing to let up, "I said, you are _not_ my father," she challenged. "Biological maybe, but that means nothing. I've been on my own forever. And this," she motioned her hands in the air between their distance, "means nothing."

James closed his eyes and slowly sunk back down into the couch, trying to steady his breath. He clasped his hands together, planting his elbows on his knees, and lowered his head, eyes looking down to the floor. Without looking up, "You don't mean that," he said softly, filled with pain.

"Cut the father crap David. Look, I get the parental curse sob story, I really do. But we can't just pick back up where we left off. I'm not a kid anymore. You missed out when it counted and you're just going have to admit it, deal with it, and move on!" She was yelling now.

All James could do was glare back at her trying to control the tears welling up in the back of his eyes. Suddenly, both their heads jerked in the direction of the bedroom where Snow came out. "What's going on?"

James looked at his wife, frozen. Without saying another word, he slowly rose from the couch and headed towards the door. With one last glance at his wife, pain reflected in his eyes, he opened the door, stepped out, and closed the door behind him.

"Emma…" Snow looked at her daughter pleadingly, "What happened? James insisted on waiting up for you."

"That's the reason for this stupid mess! He thinks just because now that we've found out we're related he gets to control my life!" Snow choked in her throat but Emma continued. "Well I'm an adult damn it!"

"Emma," Snow began cautiously, "he was just worried; as was I. He can't help the love he feels for you and just wants to protect you."

"Well has he ever considered how _I_ might feel about all this? I don't see you crossing that line. And besides, whose side are you on anyway?"

"You can't possibly be asking me such a thing!" Snow cried.

"Well I'm not backing down on this one so take your pick," Emma seethed.

"Emma, we were making so much progress. Please, what happened?" Snow pleaded.

"Is this what I am to you? Some science experiment that you manipulate and check the progress on?" Emma yelled.

Snow took a step back, clutching her heart. "Emma, you _know_ that's not true!" Snow was almost yelling herself.

Emma didn't say another word as she stormed off to her room and slammed the door.

Snow closed her eyes and lowered herself into a chair, shaking. She began to cry softly.

* * *

><p>A couple hours later, in the early morning, James returned. When he opened the door, he almost ran into his daughter, two duffel bags in one hand, a box tucked under the other arm. They both froze. Before James even had time to grasp the meaning of the sight in front of him, Emma spoke.<p>

"I think it would be best if I moved out."

"Emma, don't. I'm… I'm…" James trailed off, because he wasn't _sorry_. He could he be? How could he be sorry for loving his daughter with all his heart, wanting to protect her from the world? "Emma... please…" he struggled to bring the words to his lips.

"Look, neither of us are budging on the issue and so I think it really is for the best. For now. We all just need to take a step back and just… think for a while." And with that, she moved past him. James closed his eyes when she shut the door behind her.

"James?" James looked up to see his wife standing by the bedroom door, eyes red and puffy, gripping her night robe tightly around her.

They moved towards each other and soon she was wrapped in his arms, sobbing into his chest. He clutched her tightly to him, running one hand through her hair, the other rubbing her back as she cried.

"She hates us," Snow gasped out between sobs.

"No darling. No, she…she just needs some time. And I'm pretty sure I'm the one she hates right now." He reached his hands up to trace underneath her eyes, wiping away her tears.

Snow shook her head. "Y-You weren't here. She asked me to take sides and pick between you or her. And when I pointed out that we had been making so much progress when suddenly this happened, she accused us of thinking of her as some science experiment that we can manipulate to check progress on."

James winced. "I need to go after her."

"Are you sure that's a good idea? Didn't you just say that we needed to give her some space?" Snow pointed out, trying to steady her crying.

"Yeah. But now I can't help but think that there's something wrong, something beyond my attempts at parenting. Something must've happened for her to snap like this all the sudden," James replied.

"Do you think it has something to do with Graham's death?" Snow looked up and asked.

"You would think so, but his death was well over a month ago and after two weeks of mourning, she was doing seemingly fine, considering," James pointed out as he remembered how withdrawn and moody his daughter was during that period over a month ago. He remembered how no matter how hard he had tried to get her to talk to him about the late sheriff's death, she would only push him away. Emma had only allowed herself to express whatever form of grieving she could with Snow. "It was just...yesterday, like something triggered her to go off like that. It had to have been something recent," James reasoned.

"Sweetheart, didn't she just come home from a date of some sort? You know she and Graham had feelings for each other before he died right?" Snow pointed out.

James all but smacked his forehead. "Oh my gosh. You're right. Why did I not see that? What kind of father am I if I can't even notice these things like you do?"

Snow reached up to caress her fingers through his hair, placing her hand on the nape of his neck to gently push his head down to face her. "James, look at me. You're the most wonderful father I know. You've sacrificed everything for her. You've given her so much love. You just didn't realize it cause you were so busying worrying about her, protecting her. She's so lucky to have you. Like I said, Emma's _healing_. From Graham, you, me, the truth, _everything_."

He pressed a kiss to her forehead and then moved towards the door.

"You're really going out to find her?" Snow asked.

"I have to. I can't give up. And since she inherited such stubbornness from the both of us, I doubt she'll be making the first move." James replied as he opened the door.

"You want me to come with you?" Snow asked.

James shook his head. "This is between me and her. Besides, you should get some rest. I doubt you slept at all last night."

Snow smiled meekly. "Did you?"

"Not a wink," James replied as he closed the door behind him.

* * *

><p>James looked everywhere for Emma: Granny's Bed &amp; Breakfast, the diner, local bars, the sheriff's station, everywhere. He thought that he should have been able to find her pretty quickly given how adept he was at tracking but she was <em>his<em> daughter after all. Some hope returned when he suddenly saw Henry coming out of the convenience store.

"Henry!" he called, jogging to catch up to his grandson.

Henry turned and smiled at his grandfather's call but his smile soon faltered as James got closer and Henry saw the sheer worry in his eyes. "Hi Grandpa James! Is everything okay?"

James smiled at Henry affectionately and tousled his hair. "Have you seen Emma?"

Henry frowned. "No, why?"

"We uh… We got in a fight. It was pretty bad. This morning she packed her stuff and said she was moving out."

Henry's eyes grew wide. "I haven't seen her… Wh-What was the fight about?"

James lowered his head, shuffling a pebble at his feet, stuffing his hands in his pocket. "She got home late and I was kind of freaking out about it and she freaked out in return."

"Oh…" Henry replied sadly but then his face suddenly lit up. "Wait! I think I may know where she is!"

James crouched down to level his eyes with that of his grandson's. "You do?"

"Yeah! And I think I can help!" Henry beamed.

James opened up his hands, smiling. "Well lead the way!"

Henry eagerly took James' hand and grandfather and grandson walked hand-in-hand down the street.

* * *

><p>Emma was sitting on the edge of Henry's castle with her legs dangling off the sides, arms hugging tightly around her own body when suddenly Henry plopped down beside her.<p>

She quickly wiped her eyes, sniffled her nose, and looked at him, raising her eyebrows at his sudden arrival.

"You know, I wonder what it would be like to have a curfew." A smile began to slyly creep across her son's face.

"Oh Henry, it's not that simple…" Emma began but then stopped abruptly. "Wait. Regina doesn't give you a curfew?"

Henry shrugged his shoulders. "I've never really needed one I guess."

Emma nodded. "Look, Henry, I'm an adult okay? It's different." Emma looked away, trying to find a way to explain her own feelings, a way to define them to even herself.

"But he can't help it! The last time he saw you, the last time he held you in his arms, you were a tiny baby. His baby girl." Henry looked up at her face and she slowly turned to return his gaze. "He just wants that chance." Emma opened her mouth and then closed it, trying to think of a reply. James soon came up from behind Henry and placed a hand on his shoulder. Henry looked up at his grandfather and then looked back at his mom, grinning at her. "See you later Emma!" he called cheerfully as he stood up and hopped off the play castle. He flashed his grandfather a huge encouraging grin as he turned and raced down the beach towards the street.

Slowly, James sat down in Henry's place beside Emma, keeping a respectable distance between them. They sat in silence for several seconds. "So…" Emma began while still keeping her gaze on the ocean waves, "You're now sending Henry to do your dirty work?" And James could have sworn he caught a smirk in her expression.

James chuckled lightly. "Believe it or not, he's actually the one who offered; thought of this whole thing. He knew where to find you."

A slight smile began to form on her lips. "I actually believe that."

There was more silence between them, each just listening to the sound of the waves crashing upon the beach shores. "Emma, you know you don't have a curfew, right?" James finally said.

Emma maintained her distant gaze. "I know," she said softly. And with that, another tear trickled down her cheek. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

James moved a couple inches closer. "Emma, look at me." Emma slowly pulled her eyes from the water to look at him. "Everything you said was… was _right_. You _are_ an adult and I have no right to tell you how to live your life. I gave up that right…" James' voice trailed off sadly.

Emma shook her head. "Well I was totally being unnecessarily outright nasty. And no, I was wrong." She paused, bringing up the courage to continue, "This _does_ mean something to me… It means _everything_." Her voice was shaking, barely a whisper.

James saw her vulnerability. He wanted to gather her in his arms and ensure her that he would always keep her safe. But seeing her fragile state, he didn't want to push her, fearing that she would lock herself back up in that wall. "You… You were angry. I get it. But I can't help my reaction Emma. Sure, I could have eased up a bit on the interrogation, but that worry, that's _never_ going to go away."

"I know," Emma replied softly. "I guess it's something _I'm_ going to have to adjust to. Anyway, it's not about _who_ I had those drinks with. It's about us all realizing that this is an unusual… situation. Us being almost the same age and all."

James knew that that wasn't the whole truth. His daughter didn't get her human lie detector skill from just anybody, after all. "Emma," he slowly reached out for her hand, "Did this whole dating-again-thing have anything to do with Graham?" he asked softly.

Emma lowered her eyes, pulling away from his grasp to wring her hands together in her lap. "I don't know what you're talking about."

James treaded cautiously. "Emma, Graham meant something to you didn't he? That's why your date had you all upset."

"First of all, it wasn't a _date_. I was just sitting there when he strolled in offering to buy me a drink. And second of all…" Emma's voice faltered, "Graham…we kissed. And then he just _died_."

"Oh Emma, I'm so sorry," James said as he reached over to gently take her hand again. Emma didn't protest.

"I don't know why I was so bothered by it last night. I mean Graham and I, we weren't even dating. But when the guy suddenly offered to buy me a drink and I agreed, it felt…it later felt _weird_. Kind of like I was dishonoring Graham's memory, even though I really have no reason to feel that way. And it freaked me out that I was feeling that way." Emma shook her head. "I don't know how else to explain it. It was just so…unexpected. Feeling like that." She lowered her head, looking at the sand underneath her feet. "I'm sorry I kind of took it out on you, especially after everything you've just been through."

"Kind of?" James raised his eyebrows at his daughter, slightly teasing her, just to see her smile. It worked.

"Okay, I was being a horrible daughter," she admitted with a weak smile. The word _daughter_ coming from her lips made James' heart leap.

"It's okay, Emma," James said. "However," he paused and Emma looked at him inquiringly, "I do request that you apologize to your mother. You have no idea how much she's hurting."

Emma's face fell at the mention of her loving mother. "I know," she whispered. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for hurting both you and Mary. I don't know what came over me. The way that I yelled at you two, the words that came out of my mouth. It's unforgivable."

"Hey, hey. We'll _always_ love you. No matter what. Don't you ever forget that," James replied as he reached up to gently sweep the long gold locks covering her face behind her ear.

She smiled meekly at him in silence for several seconds. "David?"

"Yes, honey?"

"You… You _are_ my father," Emma whispered. "I'm so sorry for ever making you think otherwise." And with that, James reached over to wrap his arm around her shoulder, pulling her in closely to press a kiss to the top of her head.

* * *

><p>Snow was still asleep when James came home. As he gently crawled into bed behind her and curled around her sleeping form to press a kiss to the back of her neck, Snow stirred and then slowly rolled over to face him.<p>

"Hey," James greeted, reaching up to stroke her hair.

"Hey," Snow smiled, leaning in to his touch.

"How'd it go?" Snow asked hesitantly.

"Well, her bags and boxes are back in her room and I just helped her unpack," James replied.

Snow let out a sigh of relief. "Parenting's no joke," Snow chuckled.

"Huh. No kidding," James returned with a smile.

"By the way, just where did you go last night anyway?" Snow asked with raised eyebrows.

James shrugged. "Nowhere in particular actually. I just needed some air to clear my head. So I just kind of wandered around and ended up in the park where I just started chucking rocks into the pond," James said with a meek smile.

"You can't really just go riding off here can you?" Snow said with a slight smile as James returned hers with a grin. "Well I'm just glad this is over," she let out with exhausted relief.

"You and me both," James agreed with a light chuckle.

Silence overcame them as they lingered comfortably in each other's presence, him continuing to stroke her hair and she caressing the scar on his jaw. James suddenly spoke again. "You mentioned earlier that Emma asked you to pick between me and her. I know this is an awfully cruel question for me to ask but what…what would you have done?"

Snow smiled weakly, sadness glinting in her eyes. "I've already picked her once haven't I? When we still thought that I would be the one to go through the wardrobe."

James trailed his fingers down her hair to cup her face in his hand, ghosting his thumb across her cheek. "That's what I love about you."

"Luckily, I will never have to make that decision again."

James lifted his lips up to kiss her forehead. "No. You will never have to," he confirmed.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry I had to kill off Graham but 1) It is good character development for Emma; it shows just how deeply Emma was affected by his death, in a way that perhaps wasn't touched upon on the show, 2) It is very difficult to continue developing deep storylines for a character who not only had so few appearances on the show to begin with, but also is dead according to show canon, and 3) It opens up the possibility for so many new mysteries and plot development (hint hint).<strong>

**Also, I wanted to keep Henry's castle. Such a shame that it was destroyed on the show. Curse you Regina.**

**Yes, this chapter broke my heart and placed a setback in the family relations but I feel like it had to be done. Emma obviously can't just slip into familial bliss and immediately let down her walls so soon. But they've made a recovery and my intention is that they came out stronger from this than before. I hope you guys enjoyed it nonetheless! More on this in the next chapter.**


	13. Lock and Key

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So I'm going to go a little off canon in terms of what the characters know about the circumstances leading up to Graham's death for this chapter (as far as this story is concerned, Graham never said "I remember!" and he never went to see Snow asking about "past lives").**

**Also, a bit of Episode 11 with a twist :)**

**Enjoy! Please review!**

* * *

><p>13. Lock and Key<p>

Snow woke up in the late afternoon curled against James' side. Yawning, she slowly sat up stretching her arms and her husband's wakening wasn't far behind. She smiled down at him as his eyes slowly opened, squinting to adjust to the bright midday light and she leaned down to kiss his eyelid.

"Morning, love," James greeted, smiling up at her sleepily.

"I think it's well past noon, Charming!" Snow teased while glancing at the clock. "Almost 3:00 in fact."

"Wow. Last night really messed up our sleep, huh?" James replied smiling.

Snow smiled back as she leaned against the headboard and reached down to stroke his short hair, massaging his scalp while his head now lay in her lap. "By the way, I forgot to ask when you came back this morning. Did you talk to Emma about Graham? Is that why she lashed out at us last night?" Snow asked.

"Yeah. His sudden death really affected her," James replied.

Suddenly, Snow's eyes went wide. She turned pale. James froze immediately at her reaction. "Snow, love, what's wrong?"

"Wh-What did you just say? Repeat what you just said again."

"I-I said that Graham's sudden death really effected Emma. Snow, what's going on?" James frowned at Snow, alarmed, when realization immediately came over him. "Oh my God," he whispered.

Snow's eyes frantically widened further. "James, he just _suddenly_ died! The day before his death he was perfectly healthy! He just _suddenly_ died in Emma's arms!"

James sat upright to level his eyes with Snow's. "What did the doctors say?"

"They said that he died of completely natural causes; I think it was a heart attack," Snow recalled.

"Isn't he a little young to be having a heart attack?" James pointed out.

"Exactly!"

"Did Emma tell you what happened that night?" he asked.

"Just that they kissed, and then he fell back slightly, grabbing his head. Then a huge smile spread across his face and as he leaned in to kiss her again, he suddenly jerked back and died," Snow replied, voice shaking as the truth finally dawned on her.

"Th-That witch!" James' voice trembled.

"She tried to kill you too James! We're playing an incredibly dangerous game here!" Snow cried out, distraught.

"Do you think Graham remembered something?" James asked.

"He must have!" Snow realized. "He's been living for 28 years under Regina's domination. Why would she suddenly kill him now unless he's remembered?"

James ran his hand through his disheveled hair, shutting his eyes in thought, trying to piece the events together. "Emma brought his memories back," he realized.

"Like she did with ours," Snow whispered.

"She really is the savior," James whispered in return. "How on earth did Regina manage to kill Graham?"

Snow reached out to trace his scar again, preparing herself to have to explain. "Do you remember how she's been after my heart?"

James winced and then shuddered at the thought of losing his wife. "How could I ever forget?" he replied, pain tingeing in his voice at the memory.

"Well you do realize that Graham is the Huntsman, right?" Snow reminded him.

James paused in thought. "Well, I've never met the Huntsman but I remember you telling me after we ran into Graham a couple months back."

Snow nodded. "He refused to cut out my heart…" her voice faltered at the memory.

James reached his hand up to stroke her hair, trailing his fingers down to rub her back. "And I will be forever grateful for his compassion."

"But the Queen obviously wasn't. Of course, I only heard this from some of her knights who switched their allegiance back to me, begging for forgiveness and pardon after her fall from grace, but it was said that she ripped out his heart and kept him locked up as her _pet_," Snow frowned in disgust.

James froze at his wife's implication. His stomach dropped in repulsion. "You…You don't mean…"

"Yes," Snow confirmed.

"So she's had his heart all these years," James realized, putting the pieces together.

"That must have been how she killed him," Snow shuddered.

"Snow, she's more dangerous here than we ever imagined," James said, his voice slightly shaky.

Snow took his hand. "I know, love. What are we going to do?"

James leaned back against the headboard, closed his eyes and brought his fingers up to the bridge of his nose, massaging it in thought. "I…I don't know. We have to be careful. The only thing we can do for now is allow things to play out cautiously. There's nothing else that we can do at the moment that won't jeopardize someone's safety," James admitted sadly, not wanting to let down his family. He hated having to stand idly by while allowing Regina's control to thrive. "Before, I was more willing to actively take her down but now…now we know that she won't think twice about killing someone to maintain her power."

Suddenly, they heard a knock at their bedroom door.

"Come in," James said, trying to move his thoughts away from their previous conversation, knowing all too well who was on the other side. The door soon slowly opened to reveal Emma, standing there awkwardly, still in her tank top and pajama bottoms, hair messily tied back.

"S-Sorry. I heard your voices so I thought that you might be awake. But it's okay; I can come back-" Emma stuttered, turning on her heels, about to leave.

"Emma, it's okay, sweetheart," Snow smiled up at her. "We _are_ awake," and she moved closer to her husband on the bed and patted the spot next to her.

Emma slowly turned back around but remained by the door hesitantly, wringing her hands together.

"It's okay, Emma," James smiled soothingly. "We're here for you." He motioned with his hands towards the bed. "Come on."

Emma slowly moved forward and after seeing her mother's determined smile, sat on the edge of the bed beside Snow. She stared at her parents in silence for several seconds and they smiled back at her.

"Mary…" Emma finally began.

Snow reached up to sweep the loose tendrils of hair that had fallen from Emma's ponytail to tuck them behind her ear as Emma smiled slightly. "Yes, Emma?"

"I…I'm really sorry about what happened last night…" Emma's voice faltered and she looked over at her father to see him smile at her encouragingly, nodding. "It was awfully heartless of me. I'm so sorry," she whispered.

"Hey, it's okay," Snow smiled. "As long as you acknowledge that what you did was not exactly the best way to handle the situation, that's all that matters."

Emma felt even worse in that moment. Her mother, her parents, were so loving and forgiving and it caused a pang of guilt to rip through her gut.

"What I did was terrible. I don't deserve your forgiveness," Emma looked away sadly.

Snow reached out to tenderly lift Emma's chin back to meet her gaze. "Hey, no matter what, we'll love you forever, sweetheart." Emma began to smile slightly, having never really gotten used to an unconditional love that strong, the love of family, and Snow pulled her in closely for a tight hug. "We really do have to work on your anger management though, honey," Snow laughed into her daughter's hair and Emma smirked into her mother's shoulder as James threw his head back with a loud laugh before joining in to embrace both of his girls.

Although she didn't really want to, Emma finally wiggled gently out of her parents' arms. She sat back and noticed that her father eyed her intently, as if hesitating, debating internally on what to say next.

"Emma, I hate to bring it up again but there's something important that we need to ask you," James finally said, sadness glinting in his eyes.

Emma nodded her head questioningly. "Okay, shoot."

James took a deep breath. "Do you…You remember the night that Graham died, right?"

Emma's face immediately fell. "Yeah…" she said softly. "What about it?"

Snow reached her arm out to take Emma's hand. "Did Graham mention anything about remembering his past?" she asked.

Emma scrunched up her forehead, frowning. "I-I don't think so. He didn't say much. I just remember how weird he was acting. Why? What is this about?"

James squirmed a little and Emma shot her eyes to her father. "We think he may have remembered who he was, sweetheart," he whispered.

Emma gasped. "Wh-What? H-How? He…He died!"

James nodded. "We know, honey. That's what's so strange. I know that you mentioned that he fell back, grabbing his head?"

Emma could only nod dumbly in return, slowly understanding what her father was implying. "He…Something must have triggered…" she finally whispered, trailing off. Snow nodded, opening her mouth, about to speak when Emma jerked back from both her parents. "Oh. My. God. He…Regina…She…She killed him!"

James moved forward on the bed to gather his daughter in his arms. "I'm so sorry sweetheart."

Emma buried her face in her father's shoulder. "What now?" she whimpered desperately.

Snow reached over to run her hand up and down Emma's back. "We just have to be extra careful, sweetie."

And Emma nodded silently, hating the thought of letting this go and giving up.

* * *

><p><em><strong>A week later…<strong>_

Emma slowly opened the door to her parents' bedroom and tiptoed over to James' side of the bed.

"David!" Emma whispered loudly, gently shaking her father's shoulder to wake him up. "David! Wake up!"

James grunted in his sleep before turning over to stretch and then force his eyes open. He noticed that it was still very dark and he rubbed his eyes to adjust his sight to the darkness in face of his sleepiness. "Emma?" he whispered groggily, "What is it? What's wrong?"

Emma sat down on the edge of the bed as James pushed himself up to lean back against the headboard, looking down to make sure that his wife was still asleep. "I think we may have a breakthrough!" Emma grinned excitedly.

James rubbed his eyes again to clear away the last remaining remnants of drowsiness. "Huh? Breakthrough in what? Emma, what's going on?" James glanced at the clock on the nightstand. "It's past one in the morning. What are you still doing up?"

"I was investigating!" Emma explained. "I was just at Regina's office and I saw that she has this huge ring of keys! One of them could help us implicate her in your poisoning! Now all we have to do is find a way to go back inside and take them and-"

"Whoa!" James shut his eyes again and brought his fingers up to his forehead, massaging it as he tried to grasp what his daughter was breathlessly saying. "Slow down. First of all, why the hell were you at Regina's office in the middle of the night, and second of all, what on earth did you do? Did you break into her office?" James said in a hissed whisper and then looked back over as Snow suddenly stirred but then she turned over and remained sound asleep.

Emma bit her bottom lip. "I may have manipulated a robbery by teenagers…"

James' eyes widened as he threw a glare back at his daughter, dumbfounded. "You did _what_?"

"Look, Sidney came to me with some information that could help us bring down Regina. I couldn't let that opportunity slide," Emma tried to explain.

"Emma, what the hell were you thinking? Didn't we tell you to be careful? Believe me, I want her punished as much as you do but I think your rage is getting the best of you. It's clouding your judgment. You're a person of law enforcement for goodness sakes! You can't just go poking around and breaking and entering without the legal means!"

"What am I supposed to do? Just sit around and wait for _nothing_ to happen like you and Mary do?" Emma retorted.

James froze. "Emma, that's not true," he finally whispered.

"Look, I get that you're trying to be cautious, but it's getting us nowhere! We finally have something concrete here! We could dig around and hopefully find something that can bring her down once and for all!"

"Emma, a ring of keys is hardly anything concrete. In fact, to any other person, that's barely suspicious. And do you really believe that you can get illegal evidence to stick? Think about it. I mean I know back home, anything's fair game but I'm pretty sure there are proper laws here in this world," James rationally pointed out.

"It's better than nothing," Emma said softly.

James looked at his daughter sadly. "Honey, even if we were legitimately able to look into the keys, how would we even know where to start? Keys can open anything! And a whole ring of them? That would take forever. And I really doubt that Regina would be foolish enough to leave her poison lying around, even under lock and key," James reasoned as Snow tossed and turned lightly again, rolling over to throw her arm across James' waist. He smiled as he brushed his thumb lovingly over the back of his wife's hand.

Emma sighed, realizing that her father was right. "I guess I was being a little rash," Emma admitted sadly, biting down on her bottom lip. "I just wanted to get her so badly."

"I know sweetheart, and I know you're going to hate hearing it again, but we have to go about all this very cautiously. One wrong move and who knows what she'll do. We can't risk that chance. You saw what happened to Graham. There's too much at stake," James said as Emma nodded slowly. "At least tell me that you got out of there without her catching you."

Emma looked at him and then looked down to the floor. "Well…"

"Emma Swan, you best hope that I won't have to teach you a lesson by leaving you in jail, and that's assuming the best case scenario," James retorted.

Emma narrowed her eyes at him. "You wouldn't do that."

James smirked. "Oh, I wouldn't?"

Emma rolled her eyes. "Mary would never let you. She'd be flying over to the jail faster than you could stop her and then come back and give you hell for even considering it," she teased as James raised his eyebrows humorously. "Besides, who would arrest me? Because if you haven't noticed, I'm still a one-man police force."

"Oh, so now you're resorting to abuse of power?" James laughed.

"Very funny," Emma retorted. "Okay, so Regina might have been a little suspicious but I used the teenage robbery line, remember?"

James squinted his eyes shut and brought his fingers up to massage the bridge of his nose. "I cannot believe we are actually having this conversation."

"Hey, Sidney and I got out of there! That's all that matters! That's why I'm even sitting here talking to you to begin with!" Emma argued.

James shot his eyes back open. "What made you think you could trust Sidney?" he countered.

Emma stared at him, stunned. "I-I…He had corrupting evidence against her! What more trusting proof could you need?"

"Maybe if you considered the fact that he was in love with Regina!" James whispered loudly.

Emma's eyes widened. "What?"

James nodded his head. "Obviously he doesn't remember who he was here but back then, according to your mother anyway, he fell in love with Regina. Who knows if she reciprocated his feelings, I highly doubt it, but he devoted everything to her; he even trapped himself in her mirror for her."

Emma froze but then slowly shook her head. "If he was in cahoots with her, or even just loyal to Regina, why would he give me damning evidence against her?" Emma whispered, in denial.

"Because she's evil Regina who has control over whomever she wants," James stated simply. "Knowing her, she probably had this all planned out," James shuddered at the likely possibility.

Emma slumped her shoulders, mood deflated. "I screwed up, didn't I?"

James reached out to place a gentle hand on her shoulder. "No, honey, you were just caught up in the moment. And I thank you for looking into my poisoning so passionately but it's not going to do us any good if you're only setting yourself up to get caught."

Emma grinned. "After which you would leave me in jail as disciplinary punishment, right?" she said, wiggling her eyebrows.

James grinned in return and then leaned in to touch the tip of her nose with his fingertip. "That's right," he whispered teasingly. "And don't you forget it."

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><p><strong>If only they knew what those keys really opened... <strong>

**Hope you guys are enjoying this! I was originally intending to post the second half in a separate chapter but then decided that it fit better with the first part so I combined the two. Hope it made sense and didn't seem disconnected. Don't forget to review :)**


	14. Hot Chocolate

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Some family fluff.**

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><p>14. Hot Chocolate<p>

James came home from another routine check-up at the hospital to see his daughter in the kitchen. He hung up his coat and keys and walked over to join her, smiling. "Hey, honey. You're home early."

Emma smiled back. "It's been a long but slow day, if you know what I mean," she explained simply with a shrug.

James grinned. "I do. Where's Snow?"

"She stepped out to go to the supermarket."

"Ah," James replied.

Emma moved over to the cabinets and began reaching into the pantries to gather some ingredients. "I'm making some hot chocolate. You want some?" Emma asked. James suddenly frowned instinctively to himself. He quickly realized his reaction and tried to hastily retract his expression but it was too late as Emma froze. Regret and panic soon filled her eyes. "Oh my God. I'm…I'm so sorry. How could I forget? I-"

"Emma, it's okay, really," he tried to calm her, smiling. "I would love some hot chocolate."

Emma frowned guiltily. "No, no. I don't know what I was thinking. I'm so stupid."

"Emma, listen to me. It's fine. I really would love to have some hot chocolate with you. It's not going to hurt me," James insisted.

Emma looked into his eyes sadly. "But it's still a bad memory," she almost whispered.

"Memories of what has already passed. Nothing else matters. I'm here. You're here. Everything's okay. Please, believe me," James tried to reassure her.

Emma bit her bottom lip. "Are…Are you sure?"

"Positive," James confirmed with a smile. "Besides, I can't spend the rest of my life avoiding hot chocolate when you, Henry, and your mother love it so much," he grinned.

"You could…" Emma replied. "And after what happened, I seem to have lost some of my taste for it too."

James began to frown slightly, sad at the impact that his attack left on his daughter. _Regina really did know how to drive a person away from everything she loves_. "Oh come on, Emma. You _love_ hot chocolate. And as I recall, I did too so don't keep me waiting on my reunion," he teased her, smiling.

Emma rolled her eyes, a smile returning to her lips. Her father always knew how to alleviate all her uncertainties. "Fine. Cinnamon?"

"Cinnamon," James confirmed with a smile and a nod.

Emma resumed to gathering her ingredients to bring them over to kitchen counter as James helped. She heated the milk in the microwave, meticulously added in the chocolate, and then topped the drinks off with whipped cream. "You want to do the honors?" she asked her father, handing him the bottle of cinnamon.

James grinned widely. "Of course," he said, sprinkling the spice on Emma's drink and then on his own. Emma added the finishing touches of a cinnamon stick to each mug.

Father and daughter brought their mugs over to the kitchen table and sat down. "You just got back from the hospital, right?" Emma asked.

"Yeah," James nodded, raising his mug to his lips. Emma noticed that he was slightly hesitant but then he slowly took his first sip and she saw that he smiled at how wonderful it tasted again.

Emma smiled too, satisfied at his reaction, but then eyed him intently. "Well?"

James set his mug down on the table. "Dr. Whale says that I'm almost fully recovered. Although he wants a follow-up on that procedure that they did a month ago, you know, the one where they looked down my throat and stomach with that long camera. Gastro or endoscopy, or something like that, I forgot the specific name."

"To see if the scarring's healed?" Emma asked and James nodded. "Does it…Does it still hurt?"

"I barely even notice it so no, I guess. I mean, I'll feel it once every so often here and there but generally, the pain stopped a while ago," James replied with a shrug.

"Good," Emma nodded with relief. She remembered how her mother had told her that there used to be nights where Snow would wake up to James' tossing and turning as he whimpered in pain in his sleep. Emma quickly brought her thoughts back to the present, liberated that he was finally recovering well enough. "When's the procedure?" she asked.

"Next week," James replied as Emma nodded again, sipping her drink.

"Last time they did it, it was still pretty bad, right?" Emma asked.

James scrunched up his forehead, trying to remember. "They put me under sedation so I didn't really know what was going on until after I woke up. What did they tell Snow again?"

"That the scarring was still pretty bad," Emma replied with a weary smile as she realized she had just answered her own question. "But you're going to be okay now, right? I mean it's been a month now and-"

"I am," James confirmed as he cut off her worried rambling with a reassuring smile and reached across the table to place his hand gently over hers.

Emma smiled and then she eyed him mischievously. "So, who makes better hot chocolate, me or Mary?"

James laughed heartily. "Oh no you don't. Do you think I have a death wish or something?"

Emma laughed in return when Snow opened the door to the apartment to see her husband and daughter laughing together over hot chocolate. "Hey, you two," she grinned. James smiled as he got up to walk over to the door to greet her with a kiss and then helped her carry in the grocery bags. Snow walked over to the kitchen table to kiss the top of Emma's head. She smiled to herself as she noticed that Emma barely protested her kisses anymore.

"Hey," Emma greeted with a smile.

Snow looked over at her husband who was now tucking the groceries into the refrigerator. "How was your exam?" she asked. James had encouraged her to let up on accompanying him to his routine physicals because he could sense the burdened stress that overtook her every time, but that didn't stop her from still remaining a bit anxious.

"Good," James looked up and smiled, "But as I was just telling Emma, Dr. Whale wants to do a follow-up on that procedure that they did last month."

Snow grew a little worried, frowning. "Is everything okay?"

James reached over to take her hand, brushing his thumb over her knuckles soothingly. "Honey, everything is fine. Like I said, just a follow-up."

"Okay," Snow smiled with relief as she lowered herself into a chair at the table to join Emma and James soon followed to return to his seat.

"Emma just made some _excellent_ hot chocolate. Would you like some, Snow?" James asked, grinning at his daughter.

Emma smirked in return, rolling her eyes. Snow glanced back and forth between her husband and daughter, understanding that this was clearly a private joke that they shared. "I would love some," she smiled in amusement.

"Okay then, I'll make it," Emma grinned as she got up to make another mug.

"Thanks, honey," Snow said as she lightly grabbed Emma's wrist as she stood up.

"Of course," Emma smiled back.

The family brought their drinks over to the couch where they sipped and talked leisurely. James filled his family in on his day at work.

"So you'll never believe who was brought into the shelter today," James said.

Snow raised her eyebrows, opening her mouth to ask, but Emma beat her to it. "Who?"

James smiled slyly. "A goose."

Snow was confused but then her eyes lit up in comprehension. "You don't mean…"

James grinned. "I do."

"Who brought the goose in? Was it Jack?" Snow grew excited.

James nodded. "It was. Only here, he introduced himself as Ben."

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold up." Emma held up her hand to pause her father's recounting. "Jack, as in 'Jack and the Beanstalk'? And goose as in _the_ goose who lays the golden eggs?" Emma squeaked.

James grinned again. "Yes. And you're very well versed in your stories Emma, dear. I'm impressed," James teased as Emma shot him a smirk. "Although I don't think there are any golden eggs here in Storybrooke."

"Bummer," Emma replied with a shrug.

Snow laughed sweetly as she took a sip of her drink. "So what happened?" she asked.

"I had to leave early to go to my appointment so I couldn't stick around long after they came in but I do know they were there to see the vet. Something about the goose feeling a little under the weather. Its feathers didn't look too good either. I could see some discoloration and they looked slightly ruffled. Jack looked worried sick; saying something about how this goose was his lifeline," James recalled.

"Poor Jack," Snow said sadly as she snuggled under James' arm, leaning in to his chest. "I hope the goose is okay."

James nodded in agreement. "I'll be sure to check up on what happened tomorrow." He tried to move on from the depressing topic of unhappy Storybrooke endings. "What about you Emma? You seem really occupied with something at work lately."

Emma shrugged. "It's just been a lot of work, I guess. Alone, I mean." She didn't want to tell her parents that she would pour over her and Graham's old notes from their months of investigation regarding her father's poisoning, desperately hoping beyond hope that she could just find the tiniest bit of evidence that could lead to Regina's demise once and for all. She knew that her parents would only scold her for not listening to their warnings to be cautious, but she refused to give up, continuing to look into Regina, _all very carefully of course_.

James nodded. "Maybe you should get a deputy, sweetheart."

Emma smiled. "Maybe," she laughed. "We'll see."

The family sat in silence for several moments, each just sipping their hot chocolates.

"You're right James, this really is some _excellent_ hot chocolate," Snow finally said with a grin.

James laughed. "Oh yeah? You hear that Emma?"

Emma smirked. "Oh I heard that all right." She smiled sincerely. "Thanks Mary."

"Well I have no idea what you two were conspiring but it seems to involve this hot chocolate," Snow said.

Emma rolled her eyes with a laugh. "I just asked David which one of us makes better hot chocolate," she grinned. "He refused to answer me."

Snow raised her eyebrows at her husband, grinning. "Oh. Is that so?"

James only glanced back in forth between his wife and daughter, grinning nervously.

Emma laughed as well. "Well, that just makes you a smart guy if you ask me." And Snow and James both laughed heartily in response.

"Well, if it's any consolation, they're _both_ excellent," James smirked.

"Nice try, Charming," Snow laughed.

They continued to share their drinks with each other, everyone completely relaxed to all be home together at the end of the day and suddenly, Emma yawned as her eyes started drooping. Her long weeks finally caught up to her and she leaned her head back against the couch. She soon felt Snow's hand reaching for the back of her head and although under any other circumstance she would have been adamantly against it, Emma allowed her mother's gentle hand to pull her head onto Snow's lap, as all guardedness was lost in her drowsy daze. Emma wanted to open her mouth to protest but exhaustion overtook her and before she knew it, the comfort lulled her fast sleep even quicker.

James and Snow sat in blissful silence gazing down at their beautiful daughter and James reached over to brush his hand gently through his daughter's long blonde hair as her head lay on his wife's lap. He smiled at the rhythm of her steady, peaceful breathing. "Thank you," he finally said softly to his wife.

Snow looked at him, confused. "For what?"

James leaned the side of his forehead against hers and then tilted his head up to kiss her temple. "For giving me the most wonderful daughter in the world."

Snow beamed and looked down at the face in her lap. "She really is so beautiful," Snow smiled.

"Just like her mother," James replied as he continued to lovingly stroke his daughter's hair. Snow looked up to smile at him with a look of pure adoration and then leaned up to kiss him chastely but affectionately. "She gets her worrying from her mother too," James teased, the corner of his mouth curling up in a smile against her lips.

Snow pulled away to punch him playfully in the arm, being careful not to jostle Emma. James grinned at her in return and then leaned in to kiss his wife again.

When they pulled away, James and Snow continued to sit gazing at their daughter for several more minutes before Snow spoke again.

"Should we wake her up for dinner?" Snow asked.

"Nah, I don't have the heart to wake her. If she's hungry, she'll wake up on her own. We should get her to her bed though," he replied.

Snow shook her head. "I don't want to wake her either. She's been so exhausted lately and now she looks so much at peace." Snow smiled as she cocked her head to peer into her daughter's face.

"Don't worry," James slowly rose from the couch. "I won't wake her." And with that, he bent down and gently lifted his daughter into his arms from his wife's lap.

Emma stirred a little but then let out a content sigh as she pressed herself in closer against her father's chest, still sound asleep.

James smiled as he looked down and planted a kiss to his daughter's crown. Slowly, he made his way towards her bedroom with his wife following behind. When they got to her room, James gently set his daughter down on the bed as Snow leaned down to pull the covers snugly around her and pressed a kiss to her forehead. James leaned down to do the same and then husband and wife made their way back towards the door.

"Sweet dreams, baby girl," James whispered before pulling the door closed.

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><p><strong>So much fluff :)<strong>

**There's a small homage to Josh Dallas in this chapter. Can you guys guess what it is? ;D**

**And I know I've been writing a lot of father-daughter fluff but look forward to some mother-daughter moments soon :)**

**Please review!**


	15. Flooded

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**So I know I've been writing a lot of father-daughter moments (I just can't help it) so here are finally some mother-daughter moments. Enjoy! :) And don't forget to review! Thank you so much for everyone's support!**

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><p>15. Flooded<p>

Snow heard keys jangling at the door and came over to greet Emma as she came home. "Hey," Snow smiled.

Emma smiled in return. "Hi," she grinned. She locked the door and then turned back around, quickly scanning her eyes around the room. "Where's David? I saw his truck parked outside so I'm assuming he's home."

Snow smiled and then nodded her head over to the living room where Emma glanced over to see the blond crown of her father's head sticking out from the side from the couch. He was lying down as if fast asleep. Emma raised her eyebrows curiously.

"We just got back from the hospital. James had that follow-up procedure today," Snow explained. "He's just still sleepy from the anesthesia. He collapsed onto the couch right when we got home so I told him to lie down, close his eyes, and just go to sleep for a while."

Emma nodded, but still a little worried at any mention of her father at the hospital. "How did it go? Is he okay?"

Snow nodded as well, relieved that she was finally able to deliver some seemingly good news. "It went fine. The doctors said that the internal scarring is almost fully healed, although it's still there, but they also said that the improvement from the first procedure is remarkable. And James barely feels any pain anymore," Snow said smiling.

Emma smiled as well. "Finally," she said, and Snow only nodded her head in complete agreement. "So the procedure went without a hitch? He's okay?"

Snow nodded again, opening her mouth, about to give a more detailed answer when James stirred and rolled over on the couch. Snow then pressed a finger to her lips and moved over to drape a throw blanket over James, brushing the back of her hand tenderly over his cheek before moving back over to Emma, taking her hand. "Come on," she whispered, "We can talk more in my room," and she led her daughter to the bedroom, closing the door quietly behind them as to not disturb her husband.

They sat down on the bed and Snow looked her daughter in the eyes. "He's okay," Snow confirmed with a smile. The confidence and conviction in her mother's tone allowed relief to sweep over Emma, and she was finally convinced that everything was going to be okay; that they were all going to be okay, no matter what happens.

"Really? That's great!"

Snow nodded, grinning. "Trust me, I know he's okay. You wouldn't believe the first words that came out of his mouth when he woke up from the sedation. It was absolutely hilarious."

Emma raised her eyebrows. "What did he say?"

Snow tried to control her laughter. "As he was waking up, I think he caught a glimpse of Grumpy, or Leroy I guess, down the hallway of the ward and he was muttering, rambling on and cursing under his breath about how Grumpy had just flooded his study. And although it's normal for a person to talk nonsense upon waking up from anesthesia, Dr. Whale was looking at him like he'd completely gone mad. I was almost afraid that our cover was blown but it must have sounded so absurd that really, there was nothing to worry about. I had to bite my own tongue to keep myself from laughing so hard and funniest part is, all his rambling actually comes from a true story."

Emma's mouth gaped open in amusement. "Grumpy _actually_ flooded his study?"

Snow's eyes twinkled with laughter. "Well, not so much _flooded_ as drenched all his parchments on his desk. I felt so bad at the time because it was all just good fun when I sent Grumpy in there to get a hint at my birthday present. Of course, I didn't actually expect to find anything (your father is excellent at keeping secrets, by the way), but it was just a funny tradition. But when Grumpy heard your father's footsteps down the hallway, he tried to hide and knocked over a flower vase on James' desk in the process. The maids had just brought in the huge flower arrangement that morning so when it toppled over, the spilled water completely covered the surface of the desk and dripped all the way down to form a huge puddle on the floor. James rarely ever gets cross but he was pretty angry that day, almost to the point where it was funny to see him so mad for a change," Snow laughed.

Emma was doubling over laughing. "Oh my God. I would have paid to have been there – both when the study flooded and at the hospital. I think it's official that he's recovered."

Snow laughed again. "I think so too."

Emma's features softened. "I'm just glad it'll now be easier – for _you_ I mean," she trailed off, beginning to play with her hair, twirling the coils around her finger.

Snow smiled. "It's surely is a relief, sweetheart."

Emma nodded. "David could definitely tell how stressed out you were. I could too."

Snow's smile turned downward slightly and sadly. "I know. I didn't want him to know just how worried I was but whenever the issue of his health came up, there was nothing that could hide it. I was terrified. Even after he was released from the hospital…" Snow remembered how it seemed like just yesterday, although it was well over a month ago, that James was holding a dish in the kitchen when he suddenly dropped it, and it shattered as he yelped out in pain. His stomach had abruptly acted up again and the fact that stomach spasms like that one used to be quite a frequency for him almost always brought tears to Snow's eyes. "It was just so heart wrenching to see him constantly struggling with all that pain," Snow said.

Emma nodded, continuing to fidget with her hair. Snow smiled again, reaching up to gently place her hands on her daughter's shoulders to turn her around. "Here, let me," Snow said and Emma smiled as she swung her body around so that her back was facing Snow and allowed her mother to bring her hands up into her hair. Emma smiled at how nice it felt to have her mother's fingers dance across her golden locks, beginning to expertly weave them into a beautiful braid.

"When I was a little girl, I used to love it when my nursemaid braided my hair," Snow said. "She was just like a mother to me." Emma nodded. She didn't have to ask to know that her maternal grandmother had passed away when Snow was born. "You really have such beautiful hair, honey," Snow smiled. "Much smoother and tamer than mine."

Emma smiled, surprised. "Really? But your hair is so nice and short!"

Snow shook her head, laughing sweetly. "Oh, no. Wait until it grows out longer. You'll see just how wild it is. Even now, you can kind of see that it's starting to get all wired up at the ends." Emma continued to smile, trying to picture her mother with Snow White's iconic long, ebony hair.

"How long was it?" Emma asked.

Snow paused, reminiscing. "About as long as yours, actually." She smiled as she continued with braiding her daughter's hair.

Emma thought about that for a moment. "Well your hair's really straight now. Was it curly back then?"

"It was rather wavy, yes. It was much more unkempt in my days as a fugitive and your father would always tease me for the contrast in my looks from those days and when I was in a castle," Snow smiled.

Emma grinned as well. As sad as it was that her mother was forced to live on the lam to escape her witch of a stepmother, Emma liked to think that Snow White knew a few things or two about self-survival, just like herself. It was an oddly comforting thought.

"All done!" Snow suddenly exclaimed, excitedly grabbing her daughter's hand to lead her off the bed and over to the mirror. "What do you think?"

Emma turned her head into her reflection and Snow handed her another hand mirror to hold up, allowing her to see the neat braids that trailed down the back of her head. "Oh my God. It's beautiful!" Emma reached her hand up to trace the waves of hair that were tucked firmly into place. "Thanks so much, Mary!" Emma grinned.

Snow pulled her in for a hug as Emma embraced her in return. "You're welcome honey!" Snow was thrilled. When she had found out that they were having a baby girl, all Snow could think about was how she would be able to braid her little girl's hair, just like her beloved nanny had done; and now, she was finally able to fulfill that dream. "I guess it's time to go make dinner," Snow said when they finally pulled away.

Emma nodded. "I'll help."

James was still asleep when they opened the bedroom door and tiptoed over to the kitchen. Snow took out a pot and turned on the stove. "Can you reach into the pantry and hand me a can of chicken broth?"

Emma walked over to the cabinets. "You're making soup?"

Snow nodded. "Among other things, yes. The doctors said that James' throat would hurt or be slightly irritated for a little bit after the procedure."

Mother and daughter worked well together as they continued to chat softly while they chopped vegetables and cooked the soup. Snow would tease her daughter by throwing a couple peas at her and Emma would get back at her by returning her tosses with chopped carrots.

Feeling the effects of the drugs wearing off, James woke up to the sounds of his wife and daughter's shrieks and giggles. He slowly lifted his head from the couch to see what was going on and saw them playfully teasing each other in the kitchen. He just continued to smile as he stared at the picture-perfect moment, not wanting to interrupt. Emma soon left the room however when her phone rang and James rose from the couch to enter the kitchen. He quietly walked up behind his wife to where she was standing at the stove and slipped his arms around her middle, gently resting his chin on her shoulder. Ladle in hand, Snow smiled as she tilted her head upward to press a kiss to his temple. She then blew at the broth in the ladle before raising the spoon up to his lips. James grinned as he dipped his mouth in for a sample. "Hmm, that's delicious, honey!"

Snow set the spoon down and reached over to turn down the stove heat to let the soup simmer before slowly turning in her husband's arms to face him. "You think so? Emma helped make it," she smiled.

"I know. I woke up and saw you two adorably chucking peas at each other." He laughed as he glanced down to the stray vegetables on the kitchen floor. "Even more reason why it's so delicious I bet."

Snow rolled her eyes, laughing and then rose on her toes to kiss him before leaning back to caress his cheek. "Are you feeling nauseous? The doctors said that it's normal to feel a little nausea after the procedure."

James shook his head. "Only a little bit. My stomach just feels a little weird, that's all. A part of it is probably because I've been fasting since last night."

Snow nodded and then smiled, reaching her hand down to hover over his stomach. "Dinner will be ready soon. So are you more clearheaded now?" she teased. "Were you able to get back at Grumpy and me for flooding your office?"

James scrunched up his forehead, confused. "What are you talking about? That happened so long ago!" he laughed.

Snow giggled. "Well it must have really bothered you because you never forgot about it and started rambling on and on about it as you were waking up in the hospital from the sedatives."

The expression of embarrassment on James' features was priceless. His face turned the color of the tomato on the cutting board by Snow's elbow. "Oh my God. I didn't."

Snow rose on her toes to kiss him again, loving the adorable look on his face. "You did. It was quite funny."

James closed his eyes and then opened them with a weary smile but the smile quickly faltered, replaced by a look of utter dread. "Did I yell at you?" he whispered, afraid that he had lashed out at her. The thought of that possibility sent chills down his spine and it just made him want somebody to punch him in the face. With his enemies, James had no problem with putting his hot temper to good use. But with Snow, he would rarely so much as raise his voice at her. Of course, Snow would only ever challenge him to hold nothing back should he feel the need to express them to her, but that was always like Snow, constantly reminding him of her strength that he loved so much.

Snow shook her head, reaching up to trace the scar on his jaw, trying to reassure him. "You were just mumbling about how your documents were ruined and how Grumpy was, and I quote, "foolish to give in to my wife's irresponsible and childish requests," but you have nothing to worry about, Charming. You didn't yell. And it's not like you yelled at me when it happened back then either," Snow grinned widely.

James winced slightly. "I said all that? I'm…I'm so sorry. I-"

Snow brought her finger up to press over his lips to silence him. "Relax, honey. First of all, you weren't in your right mind. And second of all, even if you were, I know you don't mean it. Both back then and now. It's just so funny to see you angry, you know that?"

James began to smile, leaning down to kiss her softly. "Well I'm glad that you have a friend that would do anything for you, just like I would. Even face the wrath of your husband," he said laughing.

"Honestly, Charming. You're really not all that scary," Snow teased.

James pouted his lips mockingly. "Oh, is that so? Well I think Grumpy would beg to differ. He seemed pretty frightened, if I recall. After that was all over, I felt so bad and even apologized for being so harsh with him."

Snow grinned, shaking her head. "Grumpy could have just as easily taken you out if he wanted to," Snow said matter-of-factly as James raised his eyebrows with a smile. "As could I," she continued and now a huge grin spread across James' face. His mind went to the familiar and endearing images of his wife with one hand planted firmly on her hip while the other shook a wagging finger. The image was actually one of quite gentleness and paled in comparison to the physical aggression that James knew his Snow was capable of. The mark on his chin that she now caressed was an indication of that. James widened his grin ever further, as he knew that Snow very well could take him on physically in their rare arguments or (amusingly occasional) bickering if she wanted to; not that he would dare do anything in return. "So why were you so mad that day anyway? Were you mad that your desk got soaked or mad that I was "childishly" trying to find out about my present?" Snow asked.

James reached his hand up to brush down her hair. "How could I ever be mad at you, Snow? If you recall, we both played that game and I loved that tradition of ours. I just had more discreet methods," James teased, wiggling his eyebrows as Snow raised her own. "I just said that because I'm an idiot when I'm mad. And I was very upset that my parchments were drenched because among them," he paused, "was an official royal decree that I was about to send out announcing the coming arrival of Princess Emma," James smiled.

Snow froze. "Oh, honey. I had no idea. I'm so sorry. Why didn't you tell me? You made me think it was because we were sneaking around in your study."

James laughed softly again. "Snow, darling, I wanted to surprise you. I had planned for the kingdom to gather around the base of the castle and give you a warm send-off a few days before Emma was to be born, before you would have to go through the wardrobe. Even with the pending curse, I knew that everybody was willing to put all their frightened worrying aside for a little while to support you and send you their love and blessings. But Emma came early; and then nothing went as planned," James said sadly.

"Oh, Charming…" Snow trailed off as she leaned up to kiss him passionately and he deepened the kiss, reaching his hand out to grasp the edge of the kitchen counter behind her to move his body closer to hers. Snow reached her fingers up to tunnel into his short hair and he soon moved his hands to hold onto her waist, drawing her close as she pressed against him.

"Oh. My. God."

Snow and James quickly drew apart, with Snow almost falling back into the stove but James caught her just in time. Emma had now returned to the room and stood frozen at the edge of the kitchen, flustered. It was now Snow's turn to grow bright red as James cleared his throat, shooting his daughter an awkward grin. "Hi honey. Nice braids."

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><p><strong>Another fluffy chapter :)<strong>

**I hope my little mother-daughter moment did the show justice.**

**By the way, Sunday's episode: I'm speechless… Wow.**

**Please, please review! :)**


	16. As a Friend

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Sorry it took me longer to update this time.**

**A small granddaddy-grandson moment :)**

**And a re-encounter with a former betrothed ;)**

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><p>16. As a Friend<p>

"Grandpa?"

James glanced over at his grandson seated on the passenger side of his truck. He was driving Henry to school; a routine Henry usually secretly shared with Emma but she had been called to an emergency for work. "Hmm? Yes, Henry?"

Henry looked up at his grandfather, hesitantly forming his question. "How…How did the Evil Queen get so evil? Why does she hate Grandma so much?"

James' heart sank. This was one part of the curse that he wished to never have to tell Henry about. He was just a little boy, a little boy who should never have to hear about just how dark and twisted his adoptive mother's soul truly is; and no matter how mature Henry was, nothing could prepare him for the truth. James braked at the red light and then looked over to Henry again, reaching over to squeeze his grandson's hand gently. "Oh Henry, you don't need to concern yourself with this, buddy."

"But I want to know! It could be important to breaking the curse!" Henry protested.

James raked through his brain trying to come up with a way to explain but the light turned green and he had to return his eyes to the road. He continued to ponder while he drove. "Henry, often times in life, people get hurt. Physically, yes. But it's also said that emotional hurt is the most wretched of all, even if the hurt caused was purely unintentional and not malicious. So wretched that it will drive people to do the most unspeakable things." Henry scrunched up his forehead, trying to understand. James knew that he couldn't go into much further detail. He had to keep his grandson safe. And the only way to do so at the moment was to keep him out of trouble and prevent Henry from poking around dangerously. They were now pulling into a parking spot at the school. James stopped the ignition and walked around the truck to open Henry's door, bending down to look up at him and take his grandson's hand in his own. "Henry, buddy, listen to me," James said as Henry's forehead relaxed to look at his grandfather. "What's important is that no matter how much I dislike Regina, I do know one thing about her: she really _does_ try her best to love you." _And that was actually the truth_. "You must try to never defy her again, okay?"

Henry nodded, knowing he wasn't going to get much else out of his grandfather today. "Okay," Henry replied as James pulled him in for a tight hug. James cherished the rare moments he had with his grandchild and never wanted to let Henry go.

James finally reluctantly stood back up and lifted Henry from the high-rise seat of the truck. "Come on. Your grandma will kill me if I make you late." And grandfather and grandson walked hand-in-hand up the school steps, Henry's backpack slung over James' shoulder.

When they arrived at the classroom, Henry immediately ran up to Snow, who was standing outside the door greeting her arriving students before class began. She smiled at Henry and tousled his hair before ushering him into the room to take his seat. She looked up and saw her husband standing a couple feet away. He had stopped walking when Henry had let go of his hand to bolt up to greet his wife. Snow cocked her eyebrows at him curiously. She had just kissed her husband goodbye no more than an hour ago before she left for work, yet here he was. A smile crept over her lips as James strode over to her, grinning in return. "What are you doing here, Charming?" she asked.

"Emma was called to work early and I hadn't left yet so she asked me to take Henry," James explained, maintaining his grin, trying hard to resist pulling his wife in for another kiss.

Snow beamed. "I'm glad the two of you got to spend time together."

"You and me both, darling." He stepped in closer, taking her hands in his. "He really is such a bright boy."

"He really is," Snow wholeheartedly agreed.

James grinned. "Although I must say, I was also hoping to see you in action at work. It seems like you ran out earlier than usual this morning. I barely got the chance to see you after _last night._"

"Charming!" Snow was incredulous and swatted his chest playfully but then a student approached the classroom and she let her arms abruptly fall to her sides while she tried to control her laughing.

"Good morning Ms. Blanchard," the female student greeted cheerfully, eying James curiously.

Snow glanced quickly at her husband with a hidden smirk. "Good morning, dear. Did you finish that assignment from yesterday?" she asked as James stood by, quite amused.

"Uh huh."

"Good. Class is about to start," Snow said. The girl smiled at her teacher (and at James) before making her way inside.

Snow let out a sweet laugh, shaking her head. "Honestly, Charming. You can't have me blushing like that in a professional environment."

"Oh?" he played along as she rolled her eyes.

"And I was not early. You were simply late. You wouldn't get out of bed!" Snow laughed. "That's why Emma was able to ask you to drive Henry."

"Well if I was late then I guess I gotta get going," he grinned. James then poked his head through the classroom door. "Bye, Henry!" he waved to his grandson.

Henry grinned from his seat and ran over to give his grandfather a big hug outside the room, right as the bell rang. James embraced him again in return before ruffling his hair one last time and nudging him to return to his seat.

James then turned to kiss his wife on the forehead. "Have a good day at school, honey!"

Snow winked as she stepped into her classroom, pulling the door closed behind her.

* * *

><p>James made his way back out to the front doors of the school but he was still thinking about what Henry had said. He knew that Henry would have to learn the truth someday, but until that day arrived, he had to protect his grandson. He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he bumped into someone moving in the opposite direction. "Watch where you're going," James heard a male voice say.<p>

"Oh, pardon me…" James began but looked up to see whom he had run into and froze. The man had blonde hair and was wearing a blue sweatshirt, carrying a bag of soccer balls.

"Fr-Frederick?" James squeaked.

A look of brief familiarity flickered across the man's face at hearing the name but it quickly vanished. "I'm sorry. I think you must have mistaken me for someone else. Do I know you?"

"Umm. No. I'm…I'm sorry. You just look like someone I know," James managed to muster out.

The man wasn't wholly convinced but shrugged it off. "Okay well, be careful, and have a nice day," and he turned around and continued in his direction.

James just stood there dumbfounded for a moment. _He had found Frederick!_ In the time that James was David, Kathryn had opened her heart to him with the hope of reconciling what they "once had." "David" may have never had a happy (or real) marriage with "Kathryn," but she was nice enough to let him go. She knew that what they had could never be and she didn't want him to feel trapped with her._ And Abigail…_James thought of his dear former fiancée. He owed her everything. _She deserved her happiness too! He had to help her find her love!_ Before James could form a proper plan, he turned on his heels and exited the school.

* * *

><p>James had no idea what he was doing. But he soon found himself parked outside the Nolan's house, or now, just Kathryn's house. He just sat there gripping the wheel, about to start the ignition to leave, go back and actually think this through, when the house door opened and out walked Kathryn, on her way to work. She immediately froze at the sight of him parked on her curb.<p>

She slowly walked towards him, squinting her eyes to make sure that they weren't deceiving her. "David? What are you doing here?"

James was caught completely off guard. "Umm. Hi Kathryn," he gulped as he called through the open passenger-side window, giving her a sincere smile and then unbuckled his seatbelt and slowly stepped out of the truck, making his way around the front of the hood to stand in front of her. "H-How…How are you?"

A look of complete shock swept across Kathryn's face. She had honestly never expected to see him again, besides the occasional glimpses across town, much less see him seeking her out. "I'm…I'm fine, I guess. David, _what are you doing here_?" she repeated. "I thought you were with Mary Margaret now?"

"I am," James cut in quickly, but then he saw a look of hurt appear on her features. "I mean, yes, we're still very much together. It's just…I-I need to ask you something." And now James knew he was winging it.

Kathryn crossed her arms across her chest. "What on earth could you possibly ask me, David? The divorce was finalized months ago and we both got what we wanted out of it. In fact, you barely wanted anything and I had insisted that you take more, but you refused."

James winced. "No, no!" he tried to assure her. "It's nothing like that, honest!" and he looked to see that her face had smoothed out a little but still remained tense. "I'm just…I'm just here as a friend," he smiled.

Kathryn was clearly taken aback. "As a _friend_?" she repeated.

James nodded in response. "Well, would you say that we left things off on pretty decent terms, considering the circumstances?"

Kathryn just continued to stare at him for several seconds, her jaw just short of dropping open. "Well, y-yes. I suppose so," she said, recomposing herself.

James smiled again. "So would I. So, no hard feelings between us?"

"N-no, I guess not. I mean, what's done is done. Neither of us were happy married together. In fact, I'm actually relieved to see how happy you've been, but David, please. What is this about? What's going on?"

James cleared his throat nervously. "I just want to be sure because…" he paused, furrowing his brow to try to prepare what to say next. "I ask because I'm just curious. Do you know any gym teacher at the elementary school?"

Kathryn frowned in complete confusion. "No. Why?"

James thought for half a second. "Because I ran into him today and for some odd reason, I just had this feeling that you knew him," and James knew he wasn't actually lying.

Kathryn was getting a little impatient, and rightfully so. "David, I honestly do not know of any gym teacher. Why? Should I?"

James took a deep breath, trying to think of how to explain to her in a way as to both not reveal too much while at the same time to try to ease her annoyance and frustration at the crypticness. "I think he knows you too, that's all," and that was a white lie. James had no idea if the gym teacher knew of Kathryn, but surely their former love was strong enough to strike some form of familiarity, right? "I don't know how to explain it," James admitted. "But given everything that you've provided for me, it's only fair that I let you know. You deserve to know." James felt like a meddling matchmaker or bored housewife, nudging on a relationship that was none of his business, but what Abigail and Frederick had, seeing Kathryn all alone while he got to enjoy his Storybrooke life with Snow, James felt like he _had_ to do something. At least Ella and Thomas were together, even if they were still oblivious to their true selves.

Kathryn just looked even more confused. "Look, David. I really don't have time for this right now. I'm going to be late for work. Whatever it is you're talking about, I can take care of myself."

James smiled. Abigail had always been a fighter. "I know you can. I'm just letting you know, that's all."

Kathryn hesitated, but reached out to squeeze his hand gently. "Thank you. Honestly, I still have no idea what you're talking about. It makes absolutely no sense to me, but I can see that you have nothing but good intentions."

James nodded. "I know you'll understand." He knew that now that he had planted the seed of curiosity, it would only be a matter of time before they found each other again.

Kathryn shrugged off his continued ambiguousness with a smile. "It's really good to see you happy, by the way. I'm very glad that you two are happy together; you and Mary Margaret. At least one of us gets our happy ending."

James' breath caught in his throat. "Kathryn…"

But Kathryn never let him finish, which James was thankful for because he had no idea how to respond. "Oh! I forgot! I heard a while back that you had fallen pretty sick. Are you okay now?" she asked.

James smiled slightly. "News spreads, huh?"

Kathryn smirked. "It _is_ a pretty small town," she said, still anticipating his answer.

"I'm fine, Kathryn. I just had a pretty bad case of food poisoning, that's all," James lied.

She seemed convinced enough as he was now standing in front of her, looking fully recovered. "Well it's good that it's passed. I'll admit: I was kind of worried about you. From what I heard, it was a pretty nasty bug. Anyway, I really must get going. I'll see you around David." And she gave him a smile before turning around to walk up her driveway.

"Kathryn," James called, and she stopped to slowly turn her shoulder back. "I really do wish for the best of luck to you. You deserve it."

Kathryn smiled earnestly. "Thank you, David. That means a lot," and she turned around to continue towards her car, opening the door to step inside.

James just stood there for a moment, releasing a deep breath and then returned to his own car, turned on the ignition, and then with a quick wave to Kathryn as she glanced in her rearview mirror, headed off to work himself.

* * *

><p><strong>So as you guys can see, I skirted around the topic of what Snow did to make the Queen evil because I honestly don't have a clue (I guess we'll just have to wait until Episode 18)…but I still wanted that conversation between James and Henry ;)<strong>

**This was interesting for me because this was my first time writing a real scene for James and Henry (as well as for James and Kathryn) so I hope it turned out okay. I know this wasn't a big start but I'm hoping to write more of grandpa-grandson moments later on…**

**Thank you for all your reviews! They absolutely make my day! I have also gotten requests to write about the current drama unfolding on our television sets regarding the murder case and frame-up and how that would affect this budding family. I think that with this chapter, I'm probably not going to go there just because I've had something planned well before the whole "Kathryn's missing" plot came on so I don't know if I want to take a break from that to address the canon plot or not…we'll see.**

**There will be more fluffy chapters with actual plot continuation thrown in between.**

**Hope you guys enjoyed and please, please review :)**


	17. A True Princess

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**Everything's starting to come together...**

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><p>17. A True Princess<p>

"Mary!"

Snow was busy putting on her pearl earrings in front of the mirror as James was tucking in his nice white dress shirt. "What is it Emma?" she called down the hallway in reply.

"Have you seen my red dress anywhere?" Emma asked loudly from her room. Snow could hear her daughter's closet door slamming shut, followed by the sound of another drawer opening.

"Ask your father. He did the laundry last," Snow called back.

James grinned, but before he could even respond, Emma hollered from down the hallway again. "David!"

James chuckled. "It's in the dryer, honey!"

"Thanks!" she yelled out quickly before James and Snow heard her footsteps bounding through the house to the dryer machine.

James just shook his head with a laugh.

"How did you know to wash it?" Snow asked curiously.

"Well I knew Thomas and Ella's, or I guess it's really Sean and Ashley's wedding was coming up so when I asked Emma which dress she needed to wash, she just shrugged and said. 'I don't care,' so I just grabbed the red one from her closet. I guess she ended up picking the same one that I did," James replied with a smile.

Snow turned around from her seat at the vanity mirror to look at him. "You know her so well," she said with a smile and then she turned back around to resume fastening on her earrings.

James continued to smile to himself as he reached into the closet. "Which one?" he asked, holding up a solid black tie in one hand and a dark purple one in the other.

Snow grinned into the mirror, examining the choices that her husband offered her from behind through the reflection. "The purple one. It's very regal – reminds me of my favorite outfit of yours from back home – the one you wore to their first wedding."

James grinned in reply as he popped his collar and draped the purple tie around his neck. Snow finished snapping on the back of her second earring and got up from the mirror. She walked over to James and brought her fingers up to his collar to tie his tie, looping one end up and under the other. Emma's footsteps came bounding past their room again. "Emma!" Snow called and Emma walked back to poke her head through the door.

"Yeah?" Emma asked. Snow saw that she was still wearing her bathrobe and clutched her dress in her hand.

Snow smirked as her fingers continued to weave her husband's tie into a neat knot. "Honestly, Emma. Don't you know better to prepare for something like this in advance?"

Emma groaned and then ran back down the hallway towards her room, yelling over her shoulder, "I hate dressing up!"

James chuckled again. "A true princess."

Snow grinned as she straightened her husband's tie. "It's going to be a nightmare getting her to dress appropriately once we're back home."

James smirked. "Indeed," he said, "Although I don't really mind the idea of her going around in riding pants."

Snow groaned mockingly. "Like father, like daughter," she smiled.

James beamed at her words. Snow finished fastening his tie and smoothed and straightened his collar back in place. He brought his hands up to wiggle the knot back and forth a little to tighten it before pulling on his suit jacket. "How do I look?" he asked.

Snow grabbed ahold of the middle of his tie again to pull him in and rose of her tiptoes, bringing their faces now inches apart. "Quite dashing, Charming," she grinned as her breath tickled his face and he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. Snow returned the chaste kiss but then danced away from him back to the mirror to grab her pearl necklace. She held it up. "Can you?"

James grinned as he took the necklace and she turned around. He brought the string of pearls around her neckline to clasp it in the back, his fingers lingering on the nape of her neck. Snow turned back around and James stepped back to give her a good look. The white pearls offset the royal blue fabric of her dress perfectly. "W-Wow," he stuttered. "You look stunning."

Snow blushed at his entranced gaze. Emma soon came back into their bedroom, throwing on her heels in the process, mascara bottle still in hand. "Ready?"

James looked at his daughter. She just wore the red dress he picked out but the simplicity was striking. "You look absolutely beautiful, Emma," James smiled.

Emma matched her mother's blush. "Umm, thanks David," she smiled.

Snow moved towards the door and kissed her cheek on the way out. "You clean up very nicely, sweetheart."

Emma rolled her eyes with a smile and followed her mother out into the living room.

Snow was already standing by the open front door, tapping her foot. "Come on," she said. "We're going to be late!"

* * *

><p>"Congratulations Ell-uh Ashley!" James exclaimed, kissing the bride on the cheek. "You two will be very happy together."<p>

Ashley's eyes twinkled in delight. Something about that greeting felt weirdly familiar but she couldn't put her finger on it. "Thank you so much David!" she replied as she turned to hug Snow. "Thank you so much to the three of you for coming!"

They were now at the reception. The ceremony had been beautiful. Mr. Wilkins, the town tailor, walked Ashley down the aisle, and Snow was delighted that Ella's father's best friend, Lord Jacques, was just as integral in Ella's Storybrooke life as he had been back home. He had always been like a surrogate father to her. Snow had nudged James to look at the utter adoration on Sean's face at seeing his bride cascade down the aisle towards him. Ruby looked beautiful in her red maid-of-honor dress and baby Alexandra was just so precious being bounced on Granny's lap in the front row as she cooed at her parents' (second) nuptials. And most of all, Ashley gleamed with so much happiness. Everything was so…_perfect_.

Snow tightly embraced Ashley in return. "Of course Ashley! I'm so happy for you! And I'm so proud of you! You thought you couldn't do any of this, but look at you now!" Snow congratulated. Ashley couldn't help but feel the odd sense of familiarity again, but she couldn't explain it.

They all heard someone clear their throat behind them and all turned around to see Regina. "Congratulations, you two," she smiled slyly.

And just like that, all the color drained from Ashley's face. Sean even instinctively reached his hand out to shield her. "Umm, thank you so much for attending, Madame Mayor," Ashley brought up the courage to say.

"Of course, dear. We haven't had a wedding _in quite some time now_, have we?" she smirked and with that, she moved past them to go find her seat, shooting Snow a glare along the way. James wanted to lunge after her but Snow stopped him.

"What is _she_ doing here?" Emma hissed.

Ashley looked down to the ground. "She came up to me one day and told me 'I look forward to attending your happy day.' There was no way I could neglect to send her an invitation…" Ashley trailed off.

"Hey, let's not let her ruin _our_ day. Okay, honey?" Sean smiled, running his hands up and down her upper arms soothingly. "We're _married_ now!" he beamed.

Snow had to laugh internally to herself. _They've already been married!_ She hugged Ashley again. "I agree with Sean. Today is all about you two," and then she and her husband and daughter found their seats at a table along with Archie and Marco.

* * *

><p>"I'd now like to welcome the beautiful bride and Mr. Wilkins to the dance floor to share a father-daughter dance," the emcee announced. "He has always been there to support her and has been like a father to her."<p>

Ella beamed as the tailor led her to the dance floor. They shared a dance and then more father-daughter pairs started to make their way to the dance floor as well. Emma grinned as she saw Ava and Michael Tillman dancing. The completely blissful look on Ava's face was priceless and made Emma quite proud that she had brought them together. And Michael – he beamed with pride as well. When she looked back up, she saw her own father standing in front of her, palm outstretched.

"Princess Emma, may I have this dance?"

Emma stared at him incredulously, frantically looking around and then blushed. "_Really_, David?" she hissed humorously. "I thought no one is supposed to know?"

James smiled and then shrugged. "Not everyone on the dance floor is a father-daughter pair," he stated matter-of-factly. Emma looked to the dance floor again. He was right. She could see Kathryn dancing with a certain blond gentleman (whom James later told her was Frederick) and Ruby sharing a traditional dance with the best man, Sean's friend from high school. Seeing the hopeful look on her father's face, she couldn't bring herself to come up with any more excuses. She glanced over to Snow seated next to her who was nodding her head, smiling widely. Emma began to smile as well.

"Oh, all right," she finally gave in and took her father's hand as he led her to the dance floor.

"I…I kind of suck at dancing," she told him.

"Don't worry. I thought I was atrocious at dancing until your mother told me I actually wasn't bad," James replied with a grin.

"No, really. I'm probably going to fall," Emma continued to protest nervously.

James leveled his eyes with hers. "I'm never going to let you fall, Emma," he said smoothly.

She looked at him with a hint of skepticism but them her eyes softened. "Never?" she asked vulnerably.

"Never," James confirmed.

She gulped and then nodded, allowing him to continue leading her. They were now situated on the edge of the dance floor. "What now?" she asked.

James chuckled. "I guess we're going have to skip the step where you dance on my toes."

She smirked but then let a sad smile soften her lips as she could see that her father's emotions went much deeper than his lighthearted words. She could sense just how much regret he had for all those lost years; all those lost would-be memories.

She brought her right hand up to take his left, and he smiled as he placed his right hand gently on her back. She opened her mouth, wanting to say something to reassure him, but hesitated, not knowing exactly what to say. "Hey, thanks to you, I'm not cursed," she finally joked; although now she was silently cursing herself for not being able to come up with some more sentimental words, even though the words that she spoke were truly heartfelt. It had taken her a while to come to terms with it and actually identify her own feelings but she really was grateful for everything her parents had done and sacrificed for her; and this was the first time she actually said anything to them about it.

James began to smile at her jest, for he too could sense that her emotions ran much deeper than her lightheartedly spoken words. They began turning to the music and she felt…_secure_.

"Mary was right. You're actually not a bad dancer," Emma teased, trying once again to raise her walls and dismiss the warm feeling she felt in her father's arms.

James smirked. "You're not so bad yourself, sweetheart. I don't know what you were so worried about."

Emma rolled her eyes. "You're crazy." And James let out a sweet laugh in response.

They swayed and danced as the danced floor became more populated. The pressure of the crowd allowed Emma to relax the tension that she had built up to guard herself. It was pointless, she realized. She actually _wanted_ to feel this comfortable, and she shook her head and laughed to herself. Her father raised his eyebrows at her questioningly.

"Regina doesn't look too happy," Emma found a way to explain.

James turned them so that he now was facing the party tables. He smirked at the scowl he saw on the mayor's face at seeing everybody's jovial spirits. "Looks like dear Regina's curse is weakening. She probably came to the wedding to assess how bad the damage is," he laughed.

Emma laughed as well but then her expression suddenly became serious. "You think she's thinking of damage-control?"

A worried look flickered across James' features but then he shook it off, not wanting to tarnish this moment. "Oh, most certainly. Although like Sean said, let's not let her ruin the day. That is the greatest way that we can get back at her right now."

Emma smirked again. "By being happy?"

James smiled. "Well it _is_ the exact opposite of what the curse was supposed to make us feel. Are _you_ happy, Emma?"

His question made her pause and he halted as well when she stopped turning to the music, anticipating her answer. "I am," Emma finally said. And it was the truth. She had never even thought about it until now but the past few months have been the happiest she's been in her entire life. She was living with her parents, the parents she had been looking for her whole life and she could feel nothing but love from them. She grinned at him to seal her point and he seemed to let out a content sight in relief as they resumed their swaying. They continued for several moments until Emma felt a light tap on her shoulder and turned around to see her mother, mischievously grinning at her.

"I hate to interrupt but may I steal this young man away from you for a bit?" Snow teased.

Emma laughed. "Be my guest." And she stepped away as Snow stepped in, wrapping her arms around James' neck. He grinned as he planted his hands on her waist, ducking his head in to steal a kiss. They truly were happy. Ever single one of them in this room (minus one).

* * *

><p><strong>A special thanks to SnowandJames4eva for suggesting a daddy-daughter date. This was my own take on that idea :)<strong>

**I know Cinderella/Ashley's not really supposed to have a stable father figure in her life ever since her father died; she's supposed to live a miserable existence with her evil stepfamily and all that but 1) I really wanted her to have some form of happiness/support system even before marrying Thomas/Sean and mainly 2) I needed an excuse for that James and Emma father-daughter dance because I don't think Emma would have ever agreed to do it otherwise ;)**

**Hope everyone enjoyed and please, please review! :)**


	18. Paranoid

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**A fun chapter where Charming goes into crazy papa mode. And some dialogue from the latest episode. Enjoy!**

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><p>18. Paranoid<p>

James pulled up in front of the home but before he even had time to get out of the car, he heard the apartment door bang shut to see his daughter scurrying down the walkway and hopping on behind a man on a motorcycle parked at the edge of the curb. She threw on the helmet he held out for her and clutched her arms around his waist before they zoomed off down the street. James blinked and shook his head, looking back up to see if he really just saw reality: his daughter – running off with a man on a motorcycle. The curb in front of the house was now vacant; its former occupants had disappeared in a very quick departure. _What the hell was that all about?_

He tried to gather his thoughts, still dazed at the sight he just witnessed as he exited the car. He walked up and opened the door to the apartment to see his wife sitting on the couch smiling up at him. "Umm, what just happened?" James asked Snow.

"I take it you saw her dashing off on a motorcycle?" Snow grinned as James nodded weakly. "Well, it seems someone has taken quite a fancy to our daughter."

James winced. As much as he knew that his daughter was a now full-grown woman, he couldn't help but feel nervous at the thought. "I maintain what I said before: I still have this weird feeling about the guy."

"Well I think he's rather fascinating," Snow grinned.

James groaned loudly as he sat down beside his wife. "Don't tell me he's charmed you too."

"Oh, you know nobody will ever be able to charm me the way you do," Snow teased.

James grinned in return but then started to frown again. "No, but seriously, what's going on?"

Snow rolled her eyes at his worried expression. "Relax, Charming. He's just taking her out. She _is_ practically our age you know."

James shuddered. "Don't remind me," he muttered. "At least I saw her wear a helmet."

"You drain the fun out of everything, you know that?" Snow teased again. James just eyed her seriously. She laughed. "Do _you_ wear a helmet when you ride a horse?" she challenged.

"It's not the same thing," James tried to argue.

Snow raised her eyebrows humorously. "Oh, it's not?"

James rolled his eyes. "Whatever," he retorted and then smiled meekly. "What do you know about this guy anyway?"

"Well, I know his name's August. And that he just came here," she replied.

James narrowed his eyes. "Shouldn't that be a red flag?"

Snow leaned up to peck a quick kiss to his lips. "You're so adorable when you're paranoid."

"Snow, I'm serious. And I'm not _paranoid_. Just uneasy," James said as he leaned back against the couch with a sigh.

* * *

><p>They were sitting on the ground, leaning against the walling of the water well.<p>

"How's work?" August asked. In the little time that he's spent with her, he could always tell that "work" was always one of the things on Emma's mind.

Emma was just about to bite into the burger that August had packed when she paused midway to cock an eyebrow at him. "Seriously? We're gonna talk about work?"

August smiled, taking a sip of water from his mug. "Just trying to help."

Emma relaxed her shoulders with a shrug. "Okay fine. It's frustrating," was her curt answer.

August eyed her, knowing that she was building up this wall inside again. "You want to talk about it?"

Emma returned his gaze with slightly narrowed eyes, wondering whether she should divulge all her emotions to this _stranger_. "There's just this case I've been working on that I haven't been able to solve. And I know who did it and everything; I just can't find the proof," she finally allowed herself to reveal.

"Your roommate's case?" August asked, knowing quite well that he was more than just that.

Emma shot her eyes to his. "How did you know?"

August smirked. If this was how she reacted to him knowing about David's poisoning, imagine how she would react if she found out what he _really_ knew. "I'm a writer – I observe," he teased.

Emma narrowed her eyes again. "Uh huh…"

August chuckled. "Look. Sounds like you've got a case of writer's block; well, without the whole writing part. You know, when I get a block, I usually reroute what I've done, rather than plow ahead blindly. Sometimes I find there'll be a little nugget of inspiration left behind."

"You mean start over?" Emma asked, confused.

"I mean when I start writing. I usually have one idea, and then in the middle, I make another idea; things are different," he clarified.

Emma's eyes twinkled with comprehension. "So perspective changes."

August nodded, glad that she had caught on. "Exactly. When you started this investigation, what was it about?"

Emma nodded to the simple question. "A poisoning."

August nodded again. "Then it became an attempted murder. And then a cover-up." He could see the wheels spinning in Emma's head.

_Well really, a revenge plot_, Emma thought to herself.

"If you knew that then, maybe you would've approached things _differently_."

Emma gasped and began to rise to her feet, but then the light in her eyes faded and she sunk back down into the grass, clearly dejected. "But this whole thing happened _months_ ago. Whatever evidence there was is now long gone. I'm such a failure. I've let so many people down…" she trailed off sadly.

August's eyes softened. "Hey, hey, hey. Don't say that. It's not your fault. Whoever did this clearly knows how to deceive. And I'm sure David has felt nothing but appreciation."

Emma eyed him and then looked back down at her lap, picking at her food. "Well appreciation doesn't solve anything," she said softly.

August bumped his shoulder against hers encouragingly. "Oh, come on. It's not necessarily true that any evidence is gone. It could still be there."

Emma huffed her breath. "Fine. Let's say it is. So we have to think about this in terms of a cover-up, right? So just try to find the perpetrator trying to cover up her involvement."

August's eyes twinkled. "That's the idea."

Emma grinned as she wolfed down her sandwich. August raised his eyebrows. "Whoa, whoa. What's the rush?" he asked. Emma wiped her mouth on a napkin and got up from the ground. "Where are you going?" he continued to press.

Emma looked back over her shoulder. "The scene of the crime. Maybe it hasn't been that long after all." August grinned as he rose to his own feet to follow her.

"I'll drive," he stated.

Emma shook her head as she continued walking towards the road. "No, I'm fine. You go home. This was fun, though, so thank you. But I need to do this."

"Let's be honest," he called after her, jogging to catch up. "It was my idea," he smirked. Emma rolled her eyes.

* * *

><p>The door jingled with their entry and Emma approached the diner counter. Ruby noticed her and smiled. "What can I do for you, Emma?"<p>

"I know it's been a while and I have been in here more than enough with this case but do you think I could look around some more in the back?" Emma asked.

Ruby seemed surprised as it has been quite a while but certainly didn't mind as she opened the counter door to allow them through. When they entered behind the double swinging doors, Emma's eyes meticulously scoured every nook and cranny as she walked along the edges of the room, trying to avoid the commotion of the business hour. Given that this was a kitchen, she realized that it would be almost impossible to notice anything that seemed out-of-place but she refused to give up.

Suddenly, her eye caught on something shiny from across the room, underneath the stove, a place that was rarely cleaned. It was as if it were calling to her, choosing to reveal itself to her now. She instinctively moved towards it. She felt like her voice was caught in her throat from the unexplainable anticipation but she managed to call out to Ruby. "Ruby, do you have any gloves?"

Ruby nodded as she moved to the supply closet to retrieve a box of gloves, handing it over to Emma, who slipped a pair on her hands before asking the cook to temporarily step aside so that she could bend down to examine the reflective object. She reached to pick it up and held it to the light. It was a piece of clear glass that at a first glance looked like it could easily have come from any typical culinary jar – but this piece was different. It looked like it had broken off of an already-tiny object and Emma could make out that there was a seemingly round edge at the top, as if it was part of a handle to some kind of small vial.

Emma turned around to August, her fingers trembling as she held it out for him to see. "What is it?" he asked, moving forward to take a closer look. He took a glove from the box to hold the piece himself, turning it in his fingers to examine the odd shaping.

"It's a shard…" she squinted at it. "Of some kind of vial." Realization lit up her face. "If we send this for testing, we could see if there's any substance on it, a substance like a poison, and match it the lab reports from the poison that infected David."

August smiled. "And I'm gonna guess you know exactly whose vial piece this is."

Emma looked at the broken shard again and beamed.

* * *

><p>James pretended to walk out to get the mail when he heard the roar of the motorcycle approaching.<p>

"Hey, Emma," James grinned mischievously from the curb. "Who's this?"

Emma glared at him as she got off the bike, knowing all too well that he had put on a parenting facade. August extended his arm. "I'm August," he introduced with a dashing smile.

James tried to keep his eyes from narrowing as he extended his own arm. "Nice to meet you. I'm uh, David."

Emma continued to glare at James from where she stood beside August as she unbuckled her helmet. There was an awkward silence as James shook the man's hand _very_ firmly, to the point where August was actually beginning to squirm.

"_Ohhhkay_…" Emma finally spoke up as August narrowed his eyes uneasily at James' intense watch. "I'm gonna go inside," she glared at the continued staring contest. "David!" James snapped his gaze from August's to look at his daughter.

"Umm, it was nice meeting you David," August said warily but then eased into an amused smile as they pulled away from the handshake.

"Likewise," James replied with a nod, eyes still interrogating.

Emma leaned over to August hesitantly, all too aware that her father was standing right there but then smirked mischievously to herself. Wanting to rebel, she rose on her toes to peck a quick kiss to August's cheek as James stared, mouth just short of gaping open, dumbfounded. "Thanks for all your help today," she spoke softly in his ear before stepping back.

August grinned. "Glad I could help," he replied, giving her a wink before starting the engine to his bike.

As August rode away, Emma turned around to face her father with a glare. "What the hell was that?" she almost yelled.

James narrowed his eyes at her but then eased into a smirk. "Get used to it."

* * *

><p><strong>I had so much fun writing this chapter (especially the JamesEmma parts). I kind of imagined Emma like a teenager. Hehe.**

**I'll admit: the end is approaching. All stories must come to and end, right? And trust me, it's one I've had in mind for a while ;) The latest episode just gave the road to get there a slightly new spin.**

**Please, please review! :)**


	19. Grateful

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**My apologies for the delay! But here's the next chapter…**

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><p>19. Grateful<p>

Mr. Gold, or _Rumpelstiltskin_, rather, sat in the back room when he heard the jingle at the door, indicating that someone had entered his shop. He smirked to himself as he casually rose from his seat. "It looks like Her Majesty has arrived," he murmured to himself.

He pushed aside the curtains and approached the front counter, putting on his best smile. "Madame Mayor! What a lovely surprise. What can I do for you this fine day?"

Regina only glared. "That curse you gave me: it's not working," she revealed bluntly, cutting right to the chase.

He maintained his composure, easing a sneer on his lips. "Well that seems like a bit of an unfair allegation, doesn't it? I don't know what you're taking about, dearie. It seems to have served you quite fairly for 28 years."

"Well it seems to have met an expiration date," Regina retorted coolly. Her blood boiled at the thought of her sworn enemy back together with her dearly beloved. Not to mention the sheer happiness of the town's residents at that wedding. _What was going on?_ Why was everything that she had worked so hard to secure in ruins starting to come back together again? Even Kathryn was back with her knight in shining armor! They didn't even know each other! Not to mention, the _charming_ prince that she had tried so hard to get rid of was, well, _alive_!The thought of all this made her want to throw a fireball at the wall in spite. And that would actually be a rather tamed reaction.

"Ah, well you see, nothing lasts forever, dearie."

* * *

><p>Emma squinted at the paper lab report in her hand. The substance obtained off of the vial shard – it definitely matched the sample collected from James' stomach and blood content; but there was more. The lab technicians had found it hard to explain, but they had found an unidentifiable component to the substance, an anomaly; as if nothing like it had ever existed before!<p>

"Holy crap!" Emma muttered to herself. She couldn't believe it either but given all the craziness that she had been exposed to in the past few months, _magic_ now seemed actually reasonable. They had never found it before in her father's blood work because only with this form of concentration from the vial were they able to even notice it.

After some time of pacing in her office, Emma sat down at her desk with a huff of breath and stared at the test results again. _How the hell did David survive this?_ she thought to herself. The only "reasonable" explanation was that he had been cured by magic in turn. But how on earth did the doctors get their hands on magic?

* * *

><p>Regina seemed to slither back and forth in front of the countertops. "Word is that Ms. Swan has found something in regards to poor David Nolan's poisoning. And if I don't do anything, the lab results are going to come back with my fingerprints all over that vial."<p>

"Why don't you just doctor the results?" Rumpelstiltskin pointed out blatantly.

"Ah, but you see, my dear Gold, why would I attempt such a trivial task when I can accomplish so much more?"

He kept a straight face, feigning ignorance. "Whatever do you mean?"

She leaned in closer. "Don't play stupid with me, Gold. I know what you're up to, although I can't for the life of me understand _why_. It was _you_, wasn't it? You planted that antidote."

A smile crept over his lips as he leaned in to counter her threat. "Well you didn't think those doctors were bright or knowing enough to be able to defeat your dark magic, did you, Regina?" He paused to admire the look of utter contempt on her face. "Admit it, _Your Majesty_, you will never be more powerful than me."

"Why you little-"

"The charming prince was on the brink of certain death – a very cruel death. Yet _my_ potion, administered to the heart by one Dr. Whale, was able to revive him. It was a fairly easy spell to break by the way my dear Regina. 28 years…" _Tsk tsk_, he clicked his tongue. "You must be getting rusty."

She lunged forward, grabbing his throat, pulling him close across the counter so that he could feel the rage seething from her lips.

He let out a shrill, maniacal laugh, thrilled to have finally been able to release his repressed identity.

* * *

><p><em>She has magic. She has goddamn dark magic!<em> Emma couldn't believe that just when she thought she had found Regina's vulnerability, it turned out to only slap them in the face.

"Ugggghhhh!" Emma yelled angrily, throwing the nearest object within her reach – a flower vase that her mother had given her – across the room, turning back to bury her face in her hands.

"Hey, hey, hey. You okay?" she heard a voice at the entrance to her door.

Emma whipped her head up to face August. She groaned and ducked her head back down into her hands. "Go away," she muttered. "What do you even want?"

"Just checking up on you to see how you're doing. Is everything okay?" he repeated, knowing quite well from the broken ceramic and watery mess on the floor that it wasn't.

"I don't even know, okay?" Emma retorted in frustration. And she really didn't know how to feel. On one hand, she had just faced an even more crushing reality that her father had been closer to death than she had ever imagined, and that the woman who was ruining their lives had even more of an upper hand, but on the other hand, she couldn't help but feel nothing but gratefulness that her father was alive.

"You want to talk about it?" August asked cautiously.

"Will you stop saying that? Why are you doing all this anyway?" she yelled angrily. "Why does it even matter to you what I'm going through?" She was so frustrated, not because she didn't welcome his comforting help, but because she _couldn't_ seek it. She couldn't just tell him the truth about everything.

He seemed to have read her mind, slowly stepping forward. "Emma, I know about what you're going through," he finally decided to reveal.

Emma shot her eyes to his. "You _what_? What are you even talking about?"

His gaze softened as he eyed her. "I know about the curse," he said quietly.

Emma remained frozen for several seconds. "Wh-what curse?" her voice trembled.

"Emma, don't do that. I know you know about the curse, and that you're living with your parents, and that David Nolan is your father and how you're trying everything in your power to bring him justice. Bring everybody justice for what Regina's done."

"H-how…you…" she sputtered, too dazed to finish her thoughts.

"That's a story for another time. But right now, I just want to help you, okay? That's what I'm here for," he said.

Emma eyed him and then nodded slowly.

* * *

><p>Regina's glare never wavered. "How many more of those curses do you have up that sleeve of yours?"<p>

He narrowed his eyes. "Why would I answer that question? Now if you'll excuse me-"

"Because I have what you want," Regina smiled as she had caught his attention.

He froze in his steps, slowly turning back around. "No curse will ever be as powerful as the one you unleashed. Do you realize how much had to go in to engineering all those memories? That was sheer genius, dearie."

"Yet here we are discussing the lapses in its power," she pointed out bluntly. "I need another one."

"Are you sure that is a wise idea, _Your Majesty_? Surely, you would want to, perhaps _wait_ to assess what comes next."

"Don't patronize me," she snapped, vengeance seething in her eyes. "Do you or do you not have a more powerful curse?"

"I simply do not. No_thing_ will ever be as powerful as the one _I_ gave you. And how do you repay _my_ gift? You ask for another?" he challenged. When she shot him a death glare, he smirked in amusement. "There are other choices, that are, shall we say, less powerful, but no less dark."

She leaned in closer, gleaming with interest. "Is there?"

"Most certainly. But they each will still have to be bounded by the powers, rules and vulnerabilities of this existing curse."

"Yes, yes, yes. Fine," she snapped impatiently. "I don't know why you placed limitations in this curse in the first place."

His eyes glistened with mad laughter. "Because every curse is meant to be broken."

Her eyes narrowed in return. "What are the other choices?" she repeated firmly, not wanting to dwell on the possible kinks in her new scheme.

* * *

><p>It didn't hit her until now. As she would look at him whistling lightheartedly in the kitchen, kissing and teasing her mother, reading the newspaper, drinking his coffee or hot chocolate – she had been so close to losing him and she didn't realize just how real all that seemed until now; until seeing that monster of a poison broken down before her eyes on paper.<p>

Granted, this wasn't even the first time either. She hated to admit it, but if it weren't for the curse that had kept them frozen, he would have surely bled to death 28 years ago. Snow rarely wanted to talk about it, but whenever it did come up, she could sense the complete horror of the situation and could even envision the image in her mind: her father lying crumpled, limp, and lifeless on the nursery floor as blood seeped through his tunic and onto the carpet. She shuddered to herself, causing her father to look up from doing the dishes at the sink.

"Emma, sweetheart? Everything okay?"

She offered him a meek smile. "Yeah, yeah. I'm fine."

He shut off the water from the running tap and wiped his hands on a dishtowel. "You sure?" He remained doubtful when she nodded her head. "Anything you want to talk about?"

She gave a stronger smile as she shook her head. "I kind of broke the flower vase that Mary gave me," she replied with a cheeky grin.

James chuckled. "How did _that_ happen?"

Her eyes fleeted briefly. "I…um…like she's said before, I guess I need to work on my anger management."

Though James wanted to laugh at her joke, he hated to think that something could have caused her that much anger. "Emma," he began seriously, reaching over to take her hand, "what's wrong?"

She smiled. "Nothing. It's just this whole curse thing's a real pain." She grinned, trying to reassure him.

He wasn't easily convinced. "I'm so sorry. I know how much stress this is putting on you. I hate that I can't do anything more to protect you."

She shook her head, squeezing his hand gently. "You're doing everything you can. We all are."

He smiled weakly. Suddenly Snow came into the room, using a towel to dry her hair from her recent shower.

"Did I hear something about my flower vase?" she grinned.

Emma straightened up and shifted awkwardly. "Yeah…about that…it's, uh, kind of broken. I'm so sorry."

Snow looked briefly to James who was standing right beside Emma. He gave her a smile and a nod and she returned the smile to Emma. "It's okay, Emma. Accidents happen." And with that, she bounced off to the bedroom to finish drying her hair. Emma barely had any time to appreciate what her mother had just said. _But it wasn't an accident_, she reminded herself. Guilt washed over her once more and the frown returned to her face. Her thoughts drifted back to what made her shudder in the first place. She could never imagine losing her father. It felt strange to her, feeling this attachment. Yet at the same time, it felt _natural_, like something she was always supposed to feel. Her father eyed her again.

"Emma, hon. Are you sure everything's okay? Anything else you want to talk about?"

She looked up at him and her lips quirked up in a small smile. "Nope. I'm just thinking about how I…I…" No matter how hard she tried, she couldn't bring herself to do it – to say those three little words. She was kicking herself. It couldn't be that hard. _It's just "I lov-…"_ she mentally reminded herself but paused mid-thought, shaking her head. "I'm just really grateful," she blurted out with a blush.

James grinned. "For what?"

Emma shrugged awkwardly. "Just for everything."

James smiled widely, leaning forward to press a kiss to her forehead before turning back to the dishes. "I'm really grateful for everything too."

She nodded and smiled but then turned away from him, walking back towards her room, closing her eyes with nothing but disappointment for herself.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope the scene changes weren't confusing. Please, please review and thank you everyone so much :)<strong>


	20. Fate

**Disclaimer: I do not own the magnificence that is Once Upon a Time**

**And I'm back with this story! Sorry for the longer wait guys. Enjoy! :)**

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><p><strong>WARNING: this chapter contains strong language!<strong>

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><p>20. Fate<p>

"Hey, you remember how you said you would tell me your story?" Emma asked August as they were sitting casually in her office.

August raised his head, paused to look at her, and then reluctantly and slowly nodded.

"Spill. How the hell do you know about the curse? Who are you?" Emma continued to question as she brought the feet that she had propped up on her desk back down to the floor.

August looked at her with sad eyes. "Emma…" his voice caught in his throat.

Emma just continued to look at him, not giving up on getting her answer.

"Emma, let me just first start by saying that I. Am. So. Sorry. I am so sorry…" his voice broke.

She leaned back in her chair to raise her eyebrows at him. "What are you talking about? Sorry for what?"

August stood up, extending his hand. "Come with me."

Emma followed him to stand up but planted her feet firmly in place. "Where? Where are we going?"

August headed towards the door and Emma followed behind. She saw him mount his motorcycle on the curb and he paused after revving the engine to look over his shoulder at her. "Somewhere familiar."

* * *

><p>Emma started subconsciously gripping on tighter around August's waist as he pulled his bike to a stop. "August? What the <em>hell<em> are we doing _here_?"

"Emma, there's something that I need to tell you."

Emma got off the motorcycle and planted her hands on her hips, tapping her foot. "Clearly. You've kept me waiting enough. This is ridiculous. Who do you think you are taking me _here_?"

August reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded sheet of newspaper. Emma's eyes widened as he unfolded it, revealing the familiar print. "Wh-where did you get that?" she asked with a shaky voice.

"I have a copy, just like you," he said calmly.

"And why would you have a copy?" Emma pressed on.

"I'm…I'm in this article too."

When Emma just glared, he swallowed and continued. "I'm the seven-year-old boy who found you, Emma," he whispered.

Emma scoffed. "No you're not."

August stepped in front of her to look her in the eyes. "Yes, I am."

"You're the local boy, _really_?"

"I wasn't actually a local."

Emma crossed her arms in front of her chest and leaned back against the bike. "Oh really, then who were you?"

He took a deep breath. "I'm…I'm Pinocchio."

Emma looked at him and then burst out laughing. "Seriously? That's what you're going with?" she asked between laughs as she bent over hugging her stomach. "I mean I know we both know the curse is real and everything, but a _puppet_? Really?"

August winced at her words. "Emma, it's true."

"Okay, let's say it is. Didn't Pinocchio turn into a little boy? Aren't you supposed to be frozen like the rest of them?" Emma reasoned.

"I told you. I came into this world with _you_," he emphasized, turning to walk deeper into the woods behind the diner.

"That's. Not. Possible." Emma yelled after him as she tried to keep up. "Mary Margaret and David have both told me that only one could go through. That was me."

August stopped in his step abruptly and Emma almost ran into him. He looked at her again with sad eyes and bowed his head in shame. "Your parents were told wrong."

Emma stepped forward, trembling. "What?"

"Emma, I'm so sorry. I was sent here to protect you…and I…I failed."

Emma couldn't wrap her head around it. "Why _you_? If more than one could go through, why didn't Mary or David go with me?" she spewed. "And if you were sent here to protect me this whole time, why am I only hearing about this _now_?"

"My father wanted to save me; just like your parents wanted to save you," he tried to explain. "And I was a boy. I was seven. I wanted to care for you more than anything in the world but I…I just couldn't. I was selfish. Please, Emma, trust me when I say that I cared for you every day that we were together in that home."

"You were with me? So you just fucking left me?" she shouted.

"I am so, so sorry."

She slapped him. She slapped him hard – right across the face. He didn't even know what hit him and he was soon on the ground, clutching his cheek. Before he had time to recover himself, she had run back towards the road and he tried his best to run after her. He hobbled and called out her name but she ignored him, refusing to look back as she hopped on his bike and sped of, leaving him in the dust.

* * *

><p>Emma burst into the house, rushing past her parents with her face buried in her hands, trying to hold back tears.<p>

"Emma?" James asked frantically, running after her. "Emma, sweetheart, what's wrong?"

"I don't want to talk about it!" Emma yelled back from behind her closed bedroom door.

Snow ran out from the kitchen, panicked. "What's wrong?"

James planted his palms on Emma's door and looked over with pained eyes at his wife. "I don't know."

Snow brought her lips close to the door. "Emma, honey? Please, open up. What is it, sweetheart?"

James and Snow could hear her sobs through the door and felt their hearts ripped to shreds. "Why didn't you go with me?" they heard her ask them vulnerably in between sobs.

"Why didn't we go with you where, honey?" James asked through the door.

"To this freakin' world! Why did you send me through with a freakin' little boy?"

Both James and Snow were completely confused. But before they even had time to sort out their thoughts, they could hear a pounding on the front door.

James stalked over and yanked it open to see August.

He had been expecting to see Emma so when August saw James instead, a look of fear spread across his face and he took a step back, deciding to retreat.

"Not so fast," James said, iron sternness fortified in his tone.

August slowly turned back around.

"What did you say to her?" James demanded.

"Sir, I…I told her who I was, _Your Highness_," August chose his words carefully.

James froze, but then stepped forward. August took another step back. "And who might that be?"

"Sir, it's me, Pinocchio."

James eyed him and then his pupils widened. "Geppetto's boy?"

August only nodded.

"The last time I saw you, you were a boy…" James sputtered. "And that was right before…right before…"

"I know. I too was able to come over, like Emma," August cut in.

"But that's impossible. Only one…"

"Only one could go through, I know," August finished. "I am so sorry Sir but you were not told the truth. The truth is, _two_ could go through…"

James began shaking in rage. "What?"

August just looked down to the ground, remaining silent.

"Speak!" James roared. "Answer me!"

August looked up, startled and shaken. "M-my…my father wanted to save me; just like you wanted to save your daughter. He sent me through first."

James walked forward and August kept walking back until his back was pressed against James' truck, blocking any further escape. "You _do_ realize that my wife was supposed to go through with our daughter, right? Because of _you_, my daughter grew up without _both_ her parents!" James yelled. "Had you not _stolen_ her place, my daughter would have had her mother!"

"I know, I know," August said quickly. "Please, I was seven. I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that my father loved me just as much as you love your daughter."

At this, James straightened up a bit. "You were with her?" he whispered.

August nodded slowly. "Every moment immediately after she was sent through."

James looked at him desperately, seeking answers. He needed to know that perhaps his daughter's life hadn't been that rough; that perhaps she had someone looking over her. That perhaps her childhood hadn't been that lonely. "You were there for her?" he asked again as his voice broke.

August hung his head. "I tried, Sir."

James stepped forward again. "What do you mean you _tried_?"

"I…I was young, desperate, cowardly and selfish…I couldn't handle the responsibility of a child when I was only seven. I didn't understand the importance of my promise…" August's voice trailed off.

"What did you do?"

August just looked down to the ground, kicking a pebble at his feet.

"What...did...you...do?" James repeated harshly.

August looked up and wanted more than anything to just run and hide. But he couldn't. He was standing right here in front of Emma's father and there was no way in hell that he was getting out of this. And he didn't want to get out of this. His whole life, he's spent living in guilt and now he was almost glad that the past had caught up with him so that he could face the consequences once and for all. "I, umm, I took off," he whispered.

James clenched his fists at his side. "You just _left_ her?"

"I'm so sor-"

"Why you son of a bitch!" James lunged forward, attempting to bring his fist to August's face when he felt someone's hand hold him back from behind.

"James! Enough!" he heard his wife scold.

James tore his eyes to look at his wife, still breathing heavily and trying to calm down. She placed her hand gently on his shoulder, squeezing it to soothe him. She turned her eyes to August. "Thank you for coming clean now August. I can't imagine what it must have been like for you all these years. You were so young…"

When August saw Snow's eyes soften, he inched away from the car slightly, not knowing how to possibly express gratefulness for Prince James' cooler half. He didn't deserve it.

James refused to express that much sympathy in the moment however and still glared on.

"I think you should go home, _Pinocchio_. I'm sure Emma will seek you out when she's ready," Snow spoke softly.

James snorted. "But don't count on it."

Snow shot her husband a glare and then turned another warm smiled to August with a nod, encouraging him that he could leave. He returned the nod and trudged back down towards the curb, about to hop on his bike when he realized that it was Emma who had drove it back into town. He had been forced to hitch a ride to the nearest stop and walk in from there. He stepped away, deciding that he wouldn't just take it back here and now, and walked down the street back to the bed and breakfast.

James continued to stare after him, eyes boring into his back as he walked away. Snow brought her hand up to his chin, forcing him to look at her. "Come on. Let's go inside. For Emma."

James nodded solemnly and with one final glance at the street as August's figure got smaller and smaller, he stepped inside the house with his wife.

* * *

><p>Emma was still in her room when James and Snow came in, lingering at the foot of her bed.<p>

"I'm sorry…" they heard her whisper with her face still buried into her arms folded over her knees.

Snow sat down on the bed and touched her arm gently. Emma raised her head to meet her mother's gaze. "Whatever are you apologizing for, Emma?"

Emma shrugged. "I don't know why I asked you guys such a stupid question. _You_ didn't know that you could have gone through with me…"

James stepped forward and followed his wife to sit on the other side of the bed. "No, we didn't Emma. But know that we would have done everything in our power-"

Emma cut him off gently. "Hey, hey. I know. It's okay," she offered a weak smile. "Besides, I think it's fate…" she gave a sly grin.

Both Snow and James raised their eyebrows. "Oh? How so?" James asked.

Emma wiped her eyes one last time before rolling them sarcastically. "Think about it. If all had gone according to plan and Mary had come with me, either while still pregnant, or even if you guys had known that two could have gone through, you'd now be staring at a wife almost 30 years your senior."

Both James and Snow burst out laughing, and Snow leaned in to embrace Emma in a big hug, everyone enjoying the return of their lightheartedness once more. "I know she'll still be beautiful to me…" James smiled.

Emma rolled her eyes again and mocked a gag. James laughed and wanted to tease his daughter even more, leaning in to kiss the top of her head as Emma faked another contorted face. "I heard your confrontation," Emma told him.

James' eyes fleeted. "Oh…about that…"

"It's okay," Emma was grinning now. "I know it's not really his fault but I'm gonna let him sweat it out a bit. What did he look like? Was he scared?"

James puffed up his chest in theatrical pride. "Of course," he grinned. "You should've seen the look on his face."

Snow swatted his arm. "Charming! You should be ashamed of yourself! Reacting harshly in the moment is one thing…but now joking about it is completely mean!"

James let out a soft laugh as he kissed his wife's forehead. "You really are my better half, wrinkles and all."

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter came out of nowhere after watching Sunday's episode. Hope you all enjoyed. PLEASE review :)<strong>


	21. I Love You Finale  Part 1

**I can't believe I've made it this far. You guys have truly been the most amazing readers an author could ever ask for. You should thank yourselves for this story. So I've actually had this written for a long time now (like over a month) and think it is the appropriate time to post it…hope all this was worth it :)**

**PART ONE OF THE FINALE!**

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><p>21. I Love You – FINALE PART 1<p>

Hearing the birds chirp faintly in the distance, Snow slowly fluttered her eyes open to see the bright sunlight streaming through their window. Stretching, she turned over on her side to face the middle of the bed and propped herself up on her elbow, the side of her head resting on her hand for support as she gazed down at her beloved. A smile quirked at the corner of her lips at seeing his peaceful slumber and her free hand instinctively went to feather over his bare abdomen, beginning to gently rub it. It was a habit that she had developed months ago from his recovery period and even though now it was no longer necessary, the gesture always seemed to comfort him, along with herself, first thing in the morning.

Feeling her tender caress as he drifted awake, James opened his own eyes and quickly darted them from the ceiling and turned his head over to meet her loving gaze. Their eyes locked and no words were needed to fill the moment as they greeted each other silently, a smile playing on his own lips as he slowly turned on his side to face her. As blue continued to passionately bore into green, James tenderly lifted his hand up to run it gently up her arm, coming to a rest as his fingers lingered to push the spaghetti strap of her tank top that had fallen to dangle back onto her shoulder. "Morning, princess," he finally teased huskily with a grin.

Snow returned his beam as she leaned down from her perch above her elbow to nuzzle her nose against his. "Morning, Charming."

He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before his eyes briefly looked over her shoulder to glance at the sunlight through the window. "It's a beautiful Saturday," he simply commented.

Snow continued to smile as she nodded. "Indeed it is," she agreed as she settled the side of her head back down on the pillow. "Any plans?"

James grinned again. "None that involve being without you."

Snow rolled her eyes. "How charming," she teased as she leaned in to capture his mouth with her own.

When they finally pulled apart, James leaned back to level his eyes with hers. "Snow, I'm serious. It's been far too long since we've had any time to ourselves. I mean time _really_ to ourselves; just relaxing, just the two of us, no distractions, no interruptions, no nothing."

Snow repeated her eye-roll before moving her fingers up to playfully trace across his chest. "I didn't even know that was possible, given everything we've been trying to deal with." And that was true. Ever since experiencing Regina's vengeful glares at Sean and Ashley's wedding, the family hadn't been able to shake the worry from their minds. They would spend a lot of their time in silent fear, or occasionally coming up with plans, all of which were quickly dashed upon the realization that none of their former power, free will, skills, or influence were restored here while those of Regina heightened to unforeseeable lengths. To their disgust, she seemed invincible.

"I know, I know," James tried to comfort her. "That's why we need this. We need to stop living in fear. Who knows what or when anything can happen?"

Snow began to smile again as her hand moved to brush over the scar on his jaw. "Oh?" she asked innocently. "What did you have in mind?" she grinned.

James canted his head to the side to bring his lips to her fingertips. "How about we just take off for the day? To _our_ place?"

Snow leaned up to nip a kiss to his nose. "That sounds…_wonderful_," she murmured before rising from the bed. "Race you to the bathroom," she suddenly challenged, yanking the door open to dash down the hallway.

James didn't even see that coming. "Why you little sneak…" he muttered under his breath before leaping from the bed to run after her, almost slipping on the pant leg of his pajama bottoms as he slid across the hardwood floor of the hallway. When he caught up to her, just outside the bathroom door, he threw his arms around her waist, attempting to hold her back, but she shrieked with giggles and fought free to take the extra step into the bathroom, turning back around to stick her tongue out at him and flash him a grin before shutting the door closed in his face.

"Why can't I come in with you?" he asked through the wooden barricade. He could hear the water being turned on in the shower.

"Because you lost!" his wife taunted in reply, making him grin to himself.

James remained standing there, raising his fist, about to playfully pound at the door when he heard a voice behind him.

"You guys are unbelievable," his daughter retorted from her position over the kitchen counter, waiting for the coffee pot.

Slightly reddening, James shook his head to himself with a smirk as he reached for one of his tee shirts that he saw lying on a chair to throw over his head. He made his way over to the kitchen, giving his daughter a quick kiss on the cheek. She smiled. "Good morning to you too, sweetie," he greeted before reaching for a mug from the cabinets. "You're up earlier than usual for a Saturday."

Emma shrugged as she began to pour the hot content from the ready pot into her mug before doing the same for her father. "It's a pretty nice morning."

James nodded as he leaned against the counter sipping his coffee, completely agreeing. "It _is_, isn't it? Almost _too_ nice."

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><p>August was about to make his way down the walkway of the bed-and-breakfast when he heard the roar of a motorcycle approaching – <em>his<em> motorcycle. He smiled weakly as Emma stepped off the bike and threw off her helmet. She smiled nervously as well.

"Hey," she greeted somewhat awkwardly.

"Hey," he returned.

"So, I thought I'd bring your bike back to you," Emma continued.

August nodded his head. "Thanks," he grinned. "Emma…"

Emma held up her hand to stop him. "Look. You've apologized enough. That's not what I'm here for. I get that you were a kid and that your dad just wanted to protect you. I guess any parent would have done the same thing. We all get that. As for you running off, well, like I said, you were a _kid_," she shrugged. "That's an awfully big responsibility."

When she saw that he still had a frown creased on his lips, she stepped forward slowly. "August, as mad and hurt as I was, I get it now," she continued to press.

His eyes softened a bit. "I'm so sorry," he croaked.

She offered a genuine smile. "I know. I forgive you."

He wanted to give a smile of his own but then another thought came to his mind. "Your parents must hate me. Not a very good first, or I guess even _second_ impression."

Emma smirked. "Mary's pretty understanding. She was sad but she gets it. As for David, he'll get over it."

This time he smiled slightly. "I sure hope so."

There was another silent pause before August spoke again. "Oh, I was about to ask. How's the case going? Were you able to nail her?"

Emma's eyes twinkled and her face brightened up. "Yes! I just got the results in yesterday. We finally have enough to proceed! All I have to do is get a warrant. The poison contents match, and we have her fingerprints. We got her!"

And he grinned.

* * *

><p>There was a loud and frantic banging at the door.<p>

Emma rushed from her relaxed position on the couch where she was channel surfing to pull open the door. Her eyes widened. "Henry? What are you doing here?"

Henry looked flushed, like he had been running. He pushed his way into the apartment under the arm that Emma extended to brace the door open. His eyes quickly searched the room. "Where's Grandma and Grandpa?"

Emma smiled slightly, for she was beginning to really appreciate that he called Snow and James by those names but then she immediately became worried at seeing his panicky expression. "They're…they're on a date. Why? Henry, what's going on?"

"At the toll bridge?" Henry squeaked as Emma nodded anxiously. "We have to call them back right now!"

"Kid, please, you're freaking me out. What's going on?"

"I-I saw a scroll," he panted.

Emma narrowed her eyes. "A what?"

"An enchanted scroll!"

"Henry, I don't even know what that means!"

Henry huffed a sigh, beginning to lose his patience. "It's a curse, Emma! She's creating another one! I was sitting at the kitchen table when I saw her walk by, slipping it in her purse! It matches the description of an enchanted scroll from my book perfectly!"

"Whoa, slow down, kid. We're already under a curse. Why would she need another one?"

"Well, if you haven't noticed, it's _weakening_! _You're_ weakening it! Everybody's slowly getting their happy endings back. Even if they don't realize or remember it, it's happening! But now she's just going to destroy their happiness again! And she must have noticed that you're catching onto her about Grandpa's poisoning!"

Emma's eyes widened. She had just dropped off her warrant request at the courthouse no more than half an hour ago. _She was so close!_ "What can we do?" she whispered weakly.

"Where's your cellphone? We need to get them back here _now_!" Henry panicked.

Emma quickly walked over to the coffee table to retrieve her phone, scrolling down her contacts until she reached "Mary Margaret's" number.

* * *

><p>Snow was leaning against her husband's chest as they sprawled across a picnic blanket at the toll bridge.<p>

"Thank you," she whispered softly.

He stretched his legs out further to entangle them with hers, pressing a kiss to the back of her neck. "For what?"

Snow smiled at his touch. "For this."

He grinned into the skin of her nape. "Of course! You needed it. We've all been so stressed out and the truth is, we have no idea what's coming. And not to mention that emotional tidal wave from yesterday."

At this, Snow sighed. "Poor Emma."

Snow could only feel her husband nod his head tightly against her shoulder. "I know," he finally said between clenched teeth.

Snow turned around so that she was facing him. "Charming, you have to let it go. It really is a horrible situation that happened in the past and was really nobody's fault. Even Emma has forgiven him."

James eyed her. "Snow, she's my daughter, I'm her father. It's my job to remain strict, even if it's sometimes more than necessary." He smiled at the last part.

Snow rolled her eyes when she suddenly heard a buzz coming from her purse. Reaching over her husband to retrieve it, she immediately flipped open her phone when she saw that it was a call from her daughter.

"Emma? Is everything okay?" she immediately asked into the receiver as she saw her husband sit up straighter, straining to listen as well.

"Mary, you and David need to get home quick! Henry says that Regina's up to something and it doesn't sound good," Snow heard the panicked sound of her daughter's voice.

Snow gasped. "What's wrong?"

"I don't know exactly. Just please…come home."

"We'll be home right away. Hang in there."

* * *

><p>"What happened?" James asked as soon as he and his wife burst through the door.<p>

Henry was almost in tears. "It's all over!"

James picked up his grandson like he was a little boy to hug him. "What's over, buddy?"

"Everything!" Henry yelled. "Just when everybody started to get their happy endings back, us being a family, Hansel and Gretel finding theirs, Red and Granny getting along, Princess Abigail finding her knight, Thomas and Ella, and it's now all going to fall apart!" Henry now sobbed.

James rubbed his back to soothe him as he looked over Henry's shoulder to meet Emma's sad gaze.

"Emma, sweetheart. Please, what's going on?" Snow asked.

"We can't…we can't beat her…" Emma's voice cracked. "No matter how hard I try, no matter how much it seemed like we were finally going to win, we _can't_. According to Henry, she's got her hands on another curse."

James' eyes widened. "What?"

Henry nodded into his grandfather's shoulder. "It's true. I saw her with one of those enchanted scrolls. It has to be another curse."

"No…" Snow whispered weakly. Her mind was spinning. After all the happiness that she had experienced no more than fifteen minutes ago, in preparation for all to come, she now couldn't process it.

Suddenly, and as if on cue, they heard what sounded like the roar of violent winds. James set Henry down, took his hand, and the family ran outside.

"Oh. My. God." Emma stuttered. She pointed towards the center of town, where they could see a dark cloud forming overhead the sheriff's station. She ran towards it.

"Emma!" James shouted after her. "Emma! It's not safe! Emma, come back here!"

Emma didn't listen as she kept running forward, refusing to look back. Her whole world was falling apart – the very world that she had so much trouble believing in at first but now felt like it was her own from the start. She could hear her mother and father's voice calling her name as they ran after her.

She stopped when she reached the station. The smoke of this new, heinous curse was already beginning to thicken over their heads. What was this morning one of the most beautiful days they had ever seen in Storybrooke had become a dark aura of gloom, dread, and fear. And she couldn't stop it. She was helpless.

James caught up to his daughter and grabbed Emma's hand. "Go! You have to go! Take Henry! Only you two can leave!"

Emma pulled away and glared at him, dumbfounded. "Are you crazy? I'm not leaving the two of you here!"

Snow had just ran up with Henry as well and pulled her daughter tightly against her, running her hand up and down her back. "You have to sweetheart. You have to get out of here and save yourself. We love you so much."

Emma wanted to hold her mother close to her forever but jerked back. "No! I'm taking you guys with me." She pulled at her mother's hand. "Come on!"

Snow closed her eyes, trying to firmly plant her feet in place, tears streaming down her face. "Emma, we _can't_ leave," she whispered.

Emma just stood there, staring at her parents blankly, frozen in place.

James stepped in to take his daughter's hand, caressing his thumb over her knuckles, trying to hold back tears of his own. "Honey, if your mother and I try to leave with you, something horrible will happen and you and Henry will get hurt as well."

"Well something horrible is about to happen right now!" Emma yelled.

James pulled his daughter in against his chest, running his hand down her hair to try to control her shaking. "Not to you or Henry it won't. If you leave now, you'll be safe." And a single tear began trailing down his cheek. "_Please_," he whispered desperately. Emma stiffened in his arms, unable to grasp what her parents were trying to tell her.

James slowly and reluctantly let go, knowing that time was not on their side. He crouched down to look into his grandson's eyes, taking Henry's hands in his own. "Henry, you take good care of your mom, okay?" He could hear his own voice break. "We're so proud of you, buddy. We love you so much."

Henry only nodded silently, trying hard to remain strong, be a big boy and not cry. "I-I love you too Grandpa."

Snow didn't say anything as she was trying to keep herself from sobbing and she bent down to pull Henry tightly against her.

Emma still stood there, frozen. Snow planted a kiss to Henry's forehead and finally let go of him to stand up. "Sweetheart, you have to leave _now_. Before it's too late," Snow said softly.

Emma couldn't control herself anymore and was now sobbing, throwing herself into her mother's arms. "I…I-I love you so much, M-Mom," she managed to gasp out between sobs, the words she had been trying to say her entire life crashing naturally from her lips.

Snow buried her face in her daughter's hair, running her hand up and down her back, beginning to sob herself. "Shh…shh…I know sweetheart. I love you more than anything in this world. Don't you ever forget that, okay? No matter where I am, or how separated we are, I will _always_ be there with you. I will _always_ be by your side."

"I'm so sorry," Emma muffled into her mother's shoulder. "I'm so, so sorry that I've always distanced myself from you guys, that I've never taken the moment to really show you guys…to show you guys that…that _I love you_," she tried to finish her thoughts. "I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry," Emma repeated over and over, continuing to sob into Snow's shoulder. "Please forgive me," she whispered desperately. "I've loved you since before I even knew we were related. I'm so sorry I made you suffer by withholding all that. That's all you've wanted to hear from me and I could never even have the decency to tell you! I'm so sorry!" she sobbed.

Snow tried to balance herself by gripping onto her daughter even tighter. "Shh…shh… There's absolutely _nothing_ that you need to apologize for. You're perfect, my darling. You're everything we've ever hoped you'd become and so much more."

Snow slowly and reluctantly let go as she was shaking from her own sobs and Emma turned to face her father, eyes swollen and red. She was panting from crying. "Dad…Daddy!" she cried and James pulled her against him again for the last time as she sobbed into his chest. He gripped her tightly. "I love you, Daddy," she gasped out, voice quivering, her breath heaving from panting.

James kissed her forehead and then grabbed her face between his hands. "I love you too, baby girl, more than you'll ever know." He feathered his thumbs over her cheeks, trying to stop her tears. "Stay strong, okay?" and he knew that he had to pull away because despite the heartache and agony ripping through his body, he had to get her to leave, to protect his daughter one last time. "Now go!" his voice cracked and he forced his arms to drop to his sides.

Emma nodded, finally giving in as she looked at her son. She took Henry's hand and together they ran towards her squad car parked on the other side of the street. Her yellow Bug was back home and there was no time to go back. Emma looked back over her shoulder to see James shield Snow underneath him as the winds quickened violently and howled around them, masking the sound of Snow's wails but Emma forced herself to tear her eyes away as she gripped her son's hand tightly and pushed them forward, unable to stop the sobs that came rushing back to choke her.

They made it to the car and shut the door firmly behind them. Emma just sat there for several moments, shaking as she continued to sob and Henry could do nothing but hug her. Finally, she looked over at her son seated next to her, wiped away her last tears, and gave him an encouraging smile, squeezing his hand to try to ease his fear and sadness, trying to pacify herself. She took a deep breath and then reached over to start the ignition, preparing to leave everything behind her forever, for the sake of her son.

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><p><strong>Part 1 :)<strong>

**Please, please, please review! Was this what you guys had expected? Did you like it? Please let me know. You guys are the best! :)**


	22. Destiny

**AHH! I am so sorry for this incredibly late update. I tried my best to get this last installment out even before the season finale aired because I knew it would be a total game-changer and it surely was. But with exams and the finals, and then a busy summer, I fell way behind. And then also because this chapter is the story finale, I felt a lot of pressure to make it the best possible and that has surely been overwhelming. I've had this ending in my head for a long time now so I hope there won't be any distractions back to how the finale ended.**

**So thanks so much for the lovely reviews and enjoy this last segment… This has surely been an amazing journey with you guys. Thank you. If I get a good response, I may write a sequel :)**

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><p>22. Destiny - FINALE<p>

The ride was silent. Emma didn't feel like talking and Henry didn't want to pressure her to. They just stared straight ahead with cold expressions as she drove on, passing the "Leaving Storybrooke" sign.

They were about half an hour into their drive and were approaching the Maine state border when Henry couldn't take it anymore and finally spoke. "You can't lose your family!"

Emma was startled with the abrupt break in the silence. She quickly glanced over at him before returning her eyes to the road. "Henry, _you_ are my family."

Henry eyed her sadly. "You're my family too. But so are Grandma and Grandpa."

Emma felt a choke in her throat. "Henry, I can't talk about this now okay? We just have to keep going."

Henry became frustrated but tried to keep his temper controlled. "Fine. _I_ can't lose my family, Emma! The rest of my family! Not when I've searched forever for them, just like you!"

Emma turned back to him with a look of shock.

* * *

><p>James and Snow were cowered inside the sheriff's station, with James shielding his wife underneath him as they hid underneath Emma's desk from the howling winds that were breaking through the walls.<p>

Snow was shaking and James gripped his arms even tighter around her body, running his hand up and down her back.

"Shh…shh. I've got you," he tried to sooth her as Snow continued to cry. "She's safe, my love. Emma and Henry are safe."

* * *

><p>Emma gripped her fingers around the wheel tightly, pursing her lips. "Henry, do you think I <em>want<em> to leave? I know they're my family! But right now the most important thing is to keep you safe, okay? I have to do this to protect you!" Her voice broke. "To give you your best chance!"

Henry crossed his arms to his chest, refusing to admit defeat. "Where are we going?"

Emma kept a stoic face, trying to hide the pain rippling through her. "To Boston. Once there, we can take some time to settle in and then I can find a way to enroll you in school and-"

"Emma, stop!" Henry shouted. "This is crazy! You're the Savior! You have to help everyone!"

Emma almost slammed on the breaks but instead found a way to pull her squad car over to the shoulder before turning to face her son, bracing her arm across the back of her seat. "Henry, I _can't_ do this!" she cried. "I'm no savior. Right now, I'm just trying to save _you_. You're all I have left, okay? So please…please don't make this harder for me than it already is," she pleaded with a whisper. "Please…"

Henry gave her a sad smile, reaching over to squeeze his mother's hand gently. "Emma, it doesn't have to be like this. You can still have me _and_ your parents. Why can't you see that? They _need_ you. _I_ need you."

* * *

><p>James stroked his hand down his wife's face, trying to stop her tears as they could feel the walls coming down around them. They could see the dark and thick mist creeping it's way towards them.<p>

"No matter what happens, I love you Snow."

Snow sniffled and looked up into his face. "I love you too, Charming."

"I'm so sorry," he whispered weakly.

"For what?" she whispered back.

"I've failed to keep this family together. I've failed to defeat Regina. I've failed to-"

"James, stop," Snow interrupted. "There was nothing to be done. We tried everything. She's going to win and it's not going to be anyone's fault, especially not yours."

He tilted his head down to give a kiss to the forehead. "Don't say that. She's not going to win."

Snow tried her best to crack a broken smile in the midst of her tears. "James, we've lost the battle and now we've lost our daughter. Our _daughter_! Our daughter and our grandson!"

James opened his mouth to protest with words of encouragement but before he could say anything, a massive gust of wind knocked the air from their lungs and the walls of the station came crashing down around them.

And then came that horrid cackle, a sound that made shivers crawl down their spines as they both tried to control their temper and stop themselves from lunging at the witch now standing before them.

"How precious," Regina purred, eyes gleaming with evil delight.

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><p>"Henry, you want to stop somewhere for lunch?" Emma asked her son as she resumed driving. When all she heard was silence, she glanced over to see Henry sit slouched in his seat with his arms crossed stubbornly in front of his chest, refusing to look at her. She sighed. "Henry, please, you gotta eat something."<p>

He shook his head in defiance. "Please?" he whispered.

Emma quickly glanced over again, eyes darting to the book that Henry was pulling from his backpack onto his lap. "What do you want me to do, Henry?" she whispered just as weakly.

He flipped to a page, and as Emma glanced down again, her blood turned cold. It was a picture of her parents – of that day so many years ago, when they were trapped in the newly-forming curse. She shivered as it eerily resembled the smoke and magic from the curse she had witnessed just a few hours ago.

"You're the Savior, Emma. It's your destiny," her son reminded her.

A look of realization washed over her face and before Henry could even form a grin in response, Emma flipped on the squad car siren. "Hang on, kid," she told him as she screeched her car around.

* * *

><p>Snow and James tried to fight the strong gusts of winds and current of magic surrounding them as Regina effortlessly paced back and forth around them, as if assessing her prey. "I see you've remembered," she smirked. "What a pity."<p>

"Why are you doing this?" Snow fought to keep her voice strong as James stepped in front of her protectively.

Regina threw her head back with a laugh. "Don't you remember anything, dear, or has that memory been faulty after all. This will now be my happy ending. _Permanently_. No more playing nice. No more memories to remember."

"You're not going to win," James said coldly.

Regina pouted her lips mockingly. "Oh yeah? Watch me."

* * *

><p>"Shoot!" Emma yelled out as she was racing as carefully as possible back the way they came. The siren allowed her to weave through traffic in a rather efficient manner. "I should drop you off somewhere safe."<p>

"Not a chance!" Henry yelled. "There's no time! Who knows what the Evil Queen has already done and there's _no way_ I'm not coming."

Emma solemnly nodded her head, admitting defeat. He was truly his mother's son.

The ride was silent again. But this time, the silence with filled with ominous tension and worry – fear that they were already too late. Neither could even imagine what could have happened.

When they slowly approached that familiar little town, Henry let out a little yelp, for what was once Storybrooke, Maine was now a cloud of darkness. Storybrooke had never been a jovial town but now, it seemed as if every ounce of life had been sucked out of it.

"Oh my god," Emma whispered.

As they drove deeper into town, Emma only had one place on her mind: the sheriff's station – the last place she had seen her parents. And then she saw it, walls and roof ripped off from its foundation. "No!" she yelled.

She yanked off her seatbelt and cut the ignition as she jumped out of the car. "Henry, stay here!" she yelled over her shoulder as she ran towards the cloud of smoke enveloping her parents.

Everything seemed to pass by in slow motion. She could see the debris flying past her and buzzing past her face but all she could focus on was the look of anguish on her mother's face as she gave herself up to the inevitable trap. Her father had his arms wrapped tightly around her mother but she saw him open his eyes, and they widened in horror.

"Emma, NOOO!" he shouted out to her.

But she ignored him. She couldn't stop now as she saw Snow slowly turn her face from James' chest. They reached out for each other and Emma pushed herself forward, throwing herself onward to touch her mother's fingers.

And then it swallowed her up with them all.

* * *

><p>It was ticklish. Emma didn't quite know what it was but as her eyelids fluttered open, she saw brightness. Sunlight danced across her skin through a canopy of leaves – bright green leaves from trees that looked as if they grew all the way up into the sky. She let out a groan as she tried to gather her thoughts.<p>

And it suddenly all came back to her. Regina. The curse. Her parents. Henry. Panic-stricken, she sat up quickly, and her hand brushed another's. Before she even had a chance to recognize that fair skin that was so familiar, the hand's owner spoke.

"Emma?" the voice called out.

She crawled over on the soft grass. "Yes, it's me!" she smiled, unsure of why this fantasy seemed so vivid. If this was heaven it was a lot more colorful than she had imagined.

Snow sat up as well, and tears immediately began streaming down her face. "Emma, it really is you!" Snow looked around and gasped at the place she had once called her home, restored to all its former glory. "Oh my goodness, Emma. You did it!"

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, confused. _What was going on?_ "Did what?" she asked.

"You brought us back! You broke the curse!" she heard a little boy's voice shout in excitement and whirled around to see her son beaming at her with pride, throwing himself at her with a big hug.

She just stood there dazed and unbalanced, hugging her son back with confusion mixed with joy until she felt a firm hand warmly grasp her shoulder, squeezing it.

"Welcome home, sweetheart," she heard her father say.

* * *

><p>~THE END~<p>

* * *

><p><strong>So here we are! Again, I am so sorry this last installment was so late. I surely hope it was worth the wait and I hope you guys enjoyed this story. It has been such an incredible journey writing this and like I said before, if I get a good response from you guys, I might consider writing a sequel. Haha, I'm such a tease ;)<strong>

**But in the meantime, check out my other stories. Speaking of which, I should get working on updating Once Upon a Charming Family. Hmmmm :)**

**Lots of love,**

**thistwinklingstar**


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